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PRINCETON,  N.J. 


Presented   by&:&r\.  0\.C\.  \J\^OQC\V[\a\\ 

I  y^'''\   /  i  Division 

Section 


A  COM P END 


OF 


BIBLE    TRUTH. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD  OF  rUBLICATION. 

1845. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year 
1845,  by  A.  W.  Mitchell,  M.  I).,  in  the  oflice  of  llie 
Clerk  of  the  District  Court  for  tlie  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania. 


PRINTED  BY 
WILLIAM  S,  MARTIEN. 


CONTENTS. 

Page. 
CHAPTER    I. 

Being  of  God 1 

CHAPTER    II. 

The  Holy  Scriptures 8 

CHAPTER    III. 

Creation ' 20 

CHAPTER    IV. 
Providence  of  God 26 

CHAPTER    V. 

Man's  Primeval  State 34 

CHAPTER    VI. 
Fall  of  Man 42 

CHAPTER    VII. 
Covenant  of  Grace 53 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
Incarnation 6G 

CHAPTER    IX. 
Atonement 74 

CHAPTER    X. 

Resurrection  and  Ascension  of  Christ 84 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Oflices  of  Christ 89 


IV  CONTENTS. 

Page. 
CHArTER   xir. 

Justification 96 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Regeneration  and   Conversion 109 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Repentance  and  Faith 117 

CHAPTER    XV. 

Sanctification 121 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Good  Works 131 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
The  Sacraments 142 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Baptism 148 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
The  Lord's  Supper 153 

CHAPTER    XX. 
Death 160 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
Resurrection   165 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
Judgment 168 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Heaven 173 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Hell 180 


COMPEND  OF  BIBLE  TRUTH. 


CHAPTER    I. 

BEING  OF  GOD. 

Of  all  conceptions  of  the  human  mind, 
the  idea  of  God  is  the  most  sublime.  It 
is  not  only  sublime,  but  awful.  Every 
thing  else  appears  diminutive  while  the 
mind  is  occupied  with  this  thought. 
Though  the  idea  of  an  eternal  and  in- 
finite being  is  too  great  for  the  grasp 
of  the  human  intellect,  yet  it  is  suited  to 
the  human  mind.  It  fills  it,  and  produces 
a  feeling  of  reverence,  which  is  felt  to 
be  a  right  emotion.  If  there  is  no  such 
being,  this  is  the  grandest  illusion  which 
ever  possessed  the  imagination  of  man. 
1 


2  BEING    OP   GOD* 

If  it  be  an  error,  then  error  is  preferable  to 
truth;  for  on  this  supposition,  truth  in  its 
whole  compass  has  nothing,  in  grandeur, 
to  compare  with  illusion.  Remove  this 
idea  and  the  mind  is  confounded  with  an 
infinite  blank.  Deprived  of  this,  the  in- 
tellect has  no  object  to  fill  it :  it  is  con- 
founded and  distressed  with  the  retrospect 
of  the  past,  and  prospect  of  the  future. 
But  it  cannot  be,  that  this  noblest  of  all 
conceptions  of  the  human  mind  should 
be  false  :  the  capacity  of  the  soul  of  man 
to  form  such  a  conception  is  a  proof  of 
the  existence  of  a  great  and  good  and 
intelligent  First  Cause. 

God  has  not  left  himself  without  a 
witness  of  his  being  and  his  perfections. 
It  may  well  be  doubted  whether  the  evi- 
dence of  a  divine  existence,  the  author  of 
all  things,  could  be  clearer  and  stronger 
than  it  is.  A  display  of  exquisite  skill 
in  every  organized  body  around  us  is  far 
better  evidence  than  any  extraordinary 
appearance,  however  glorious,  or  the  ut- 


BEING    OF    GOD.  3 

tering  of  any  voice,  however  tremendous. 
Such  miraculous  phenomena  would  in- 
deed powerfully  excite  and  astonish  the 
mind,  and  would  be  a  certain  proof  of 
the  existence  of  a  superior  being ;  but 
would,  in  reality,  add  nothing  to  the  force 
of  the  evidence  which  we  already  possess, 
in  the  innumerable  curiously  and  wisely 
organized  animal  bodies  by  which  we 
are  surrounded.  And  if  we  were  confined 
to  the  examination  of  our  own  constitu- 
tion of  mind  and  body,  the  innumerable 
instances  of  manifest  wisdom  in  the  con- 
trivance of  the  several  parts,  their  exact 
adaptation  to  one  another,  and  their 
wonderful  correspondence  with  the  ele- 
ments of  the  external  world  without  us ; 
if  any  man  surveys  the  structure  of  the 
human  body,  its  bones  and  joints,  its 
blood  vessels  and  muscles,  its  heart  and 
stomach,  its  nerves  and  glands,  and  all 
these  parts  put  into  harmonious  action 
by  a  vital  power,  the  source  of  which  is 
not  understood — if  he  surveys  the  adap- 


4  BEING    OF    GOD. 

tation  of  light  to  the  eye,  of  air  to  the 
ear  and  to  the  lungs,  and  of  food  to  the 
stomachs  of  different  animals,  and  no- 
tices the  exact  correspondence  between 
the  appetites  of  animals  and  the  power  of 
their  stomachs  to  digest  that  food  and 
that  only  which  is  craved  by  their  ap- 
petites respectively,  and  considers  what 
wonderful  provision  has  been  made  for 
the  preservation  and  defence  of  every 
species ;  how  much  wisdom  in  their  cover- 
ing, instruments  of  motion  and  defence ; 
in  the  propagation  of  their  respective  spe- 
cies, and  the  nourishment  of  their  young 
— I  say,  if  any  man's  mind  is  so  con- 
structed as  to  see  all  these  things,  and 
yet  remain  sceptical  respecting  the  ex- 
istence of  an  intelligent  cause,  the  con- 
clusion must  be  that  such  a  mind  is  des- 
titute of  I'eason,  or  has  not  the  capacity 
of  discerning  evidence  and  feeling  its 
force. 

In  prosecuting  the  argument  from  the 
evident   appearance   of  wisdom   in   the 


EEIJfG    OF    GOD.  O 

Structure  of  animal  and  vegetable  bodies 
it  is  not  necessary  to  multiply  these  cu- 
mulative proofs ;  for  as  one  watch,  or 
one  telescope  would  prove  the  existence 
of  a  skilful  artist,  so  the  careful  exami- 
nation of  a  few  specimens  of  animal  o^ 
vegetable  organization  will  satisfy  the 
mind,  as  well  as  the  minute  survey  of 
thousands  of  similar  organizations.  The 
attempts  of  ingenious  and  scientific  men 
to  account  for  these  appearances,  so  evi- 
dently indicative  of  design,  without  the 
supposition  of  an  intelligent  Creator,  are 
so  replete  with  folly,  that  we  cannot  but 
think  such  men  abandoned  of  God  to 
believe  a  lie,  because  they  liked  not  to 
retain  the  knowledge  of  God  in  their 
thoughts ;  so  that  it  is  still  true,  that  it 
is  the  fool  who  hath  said  in  heart,  "  there 
is  no  God." 

If  all  other  arguments  for  the  being  of 
God  were  wanting,  the  truth  might  be 
inferred  with  strong  probability  from  our 


6  BEING    OF    GOD. 

moral  feelings.  Every  man  feels  himself 
bound  by  a  moral  law;  he  cannot  but  see 
the  difference  between  right  and  wrong 
in  many  actions.  The  former  he  feels 
to  be  obligatory  to  be  done,  the  latter  not. 
Whence  this  binding  internal  law,  so 
deeply  engraven  on  the  heart  of  every 
man,  that  he  cannot  escape  from  the  feel- 
ing of  its  obligation?  Does  it  not  clearly 
intimate  that  there  is  a  Lawgiver  who 
has  provided  a  witness  of  his  right  in 
every  bosom?  Where  there  is  a  moral 
law  there  must  be  a  moral  governor. 
As  long  as  conscience  exists  in  the  breasts 
of  men,  athei-m  cannot  prevail  long.  In 
the  tumult  of  the  passions,  in  the  glare 
of  false  reasonings,  God  may  for  a  while 
be  forgotten  and  his  very  being  denied; 
but,  ere  long,  these  moral  feelings  will 
bring  men  back  to  the  acknowledgment 
of  their  Creator.  There  is  good  reason 
to  think  that  the  preservation  of  some 
religion  among  all  nations  is  more  owing 


BEING    OF    GOD. 


to  their  moral  constitution  than  to  any 
reasoning  on  the  suhject.  We  need 
not  fear,  therefore,  that  atheism  will 
ever  prevail  very  generally,  or  continue 
long. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES. 

The  Bible  is  made  up  of  many  books 
written  through  a  period  of  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  years,  by  men  who  pro- 
fessed to  have  received  their  doctrines 
from  God,  and  to  have  committed  them 
to  writing  by  his  direction.  These  Scrip-, 
tures  then,  must  contain  a  revelation  from 
God,  or  be  a  vile  imposture.  On  the  lat- 
ter supposition  it  is  marvellous,  that  the 
same  purpose  of  deception  should  be  kept 
for  so  long  a  period  by  a  succession  of 
impostors,  all  agreeing  in  the  same  sen- 
timents, and  that  the  cheat  should  never 
have  been  discovered. 

Again,  when  we  examine  the  moral 
character  and  tendency  of  these  books, 
it  is  unaccountable  that,  throughout,  they 


THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  9 

should  inculcate  a  sublimer  theology  and 
purer  morality  than  any  other  books  in 
the  world;  that  they  should  condemn 
every  species  of  vice,  and  especially,  that 
they  should  severely  reprobate  all  false- 
hood, deceit,  and  fraud;  thus  in  almost 
every  page  writing  their  own  condemna- 
tion. As  it  cannot  be  explained  what 
could  have  made  wicked  impostors  wish 
to  inculcate  such  doctrines  ;  so  it  is  con- 
trary to  all  experience,  that  men  of  ha- 
bitually corrupt  minds  should  be  able  to 
conceive  or  write  discourses  of  so  much 
moral  purity  and  surpassing  excellence. 
Read  the  sermons  of  Christ.  Peruse  the 
epistles  of  the  apostles,  and  try  to  believe 
that  these  discourses  proceeded  from 
men  steeped  in  corrupt  principles  and 
fraud.  We  are  ready  at  once  to  say — im- 
possible. When  we  see  lio;ht,  we  know 
that  it  must  have  proceeded  from  a  lumi- 
nous body.  When  we  see  wisdom  in 
creation,  we  know  that  there  exists  a  be- 
ing of  incomparable  wisdom  ;  and  when 


10  THE    HOLY   SCRIPTURES. 

we  read  a  book  of  extraordinary  power 
of  argument,  or  replete  with  sublime  im- 
agery, we  are  sure  that  such  works  are 
the  product  of  gified  minds.  What  shall 
we  think  then,  when  we  behold  in  the 
Scriptures  moral  excellence  shining  forth 
in  the  purest  and  most  comprehensive 
precepts,  and  embodied  in  bright  exam- 
ples of  consistent  piety  and  virtue  ?  The 
character  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  portrayed 
by  the  evangelists,  is  itself  a  moral  phe- 
nomenon, which  cannot  be  accounted  for 
on  any  other  supposition  than  that  the 
writers  were  inspired.  It  is  easy  in 
words  to  ascribe  exalted  virtues  to  a  hero, 
and  to  exaggerate  his  excellences  by 
heaping  up  pompous  epithets;  but  to  de- 
scribe a  character  of  perfect  virtue  by 
merely  relating  what  he  said  and  did, 
and  to  place  him  often  in  circumstances 
where  it  is  not  only  difficult  to  do  right, 
but  when  an  extraordinary  wisdom  is 
requisite  to  determine  what  is  right,  is  not 
easy.     But  in  this  way  has  the  charac- 


THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  11 

t 

ter  of  Jesus  Christ  been  delineated  by  the 
evangelists,  without  one  word  of  eulogy. 
And  let  it  be  remarked,  that  they  were 
unlearned  men,  who  had  enjoyed  none 
of  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education. 
Let  any  number  of  common,  uneducated 
men  undertake  to  write  a  history  of  some 
eminent  person,  and  what  would  be  the 
result,  even  if  their  intentions  were  ho- 
nest? No  honest  inquirer  can  read  the 
Pentateuch,  and  fail  to  rise  from  the  pe- 
rusal, astonished  at  the  wisdom,  the  ma- 
jesty, the  purity,  and  the  simplicity  of 
the  composition.  Is  it  possible  then  that 
the  five  books  of  Moses  are  a  base 
forgery  ?  Could  an  impostor  have  per- 
suaded a  whole  nation  to  adopt  a  burden- 
some and  expensive  code  of  laws,  if  he 
had  not  been  able  to  give  undoubted  evi- 
dence of  his  divine  mission?  And  could 
he  have  so  deluded  a  whole  nation  as  to 
induce  them  to  believe  that  they  saw  the 
miraculous  judgments  of  God  poured  out 
on  the  Egyptians,  that  they  saw  the  sea 


12  THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES. 

divided  at  the  word  of  Moses,  that  they 
actually  marched  through  an  arm  of  the 
sea  as  on  dry  land,  and  that  ihey  had 
been  fed  with  manna,  rained  from  the 
clouds  for  forty  years,  and  had  seen  the 
water  gushing  from  the  dry  rock,  upon 
the  touch  of  the  wonder  working-rod,  if 
no  such  events  had  ever  occurred  ?  The 
history  of  these  miracles  is  so  interwoven 
with  the  common  events,  and  with  the 
religious  institutions  of  the  Jews,  that 
they  cannot  be  separated. 

Let  the  sceptic  tell  us  what  motive 
could  have  induced  any  wicked  impostor 
to  write  the  book  of  Psalms  ?  Here  we 
have,  not  merely  sublime  poetic  imagery, 
but  a  spirit  of  fervent  elevated  devotion, 
to  which  there  is  no  parallel  in  all  the 
heathen  writings.  He  must  have  been 
a  strange  impostor,  that  could  compose 
such  songs,  or  could  have  felt  any  plea^ 
sure  in  such  elevated,  spiritual  exercises 
Can  the  deist  now  produce  any  com- 


THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  13 

positions  which  will  bear  a  comparison 
with  these  ? 

Again,  read  the  book  of  Proverbs.  Do 
you  see  any  marks  of  imposture  here? 
Do  we  not  find  concentrated  here  more 
useful  maxims  of  prudence  and  political 
economy,  and  more  excellent  moral  pre- 
cepts than  can  be  gathered  from  all  the 
sages  of  the  pagan  world  ? 

But,  it  may  be  alleged,  that  men  differ 
in  their  tasles  respecting  the  internal  ex- 
cellence of  literary  compositions;  and 
that  in  a  matter  of  so  great  importance 
we  ought  to  possess  some  more  decisive 
evidence  of  divine  inspiration.  Well, 
what  will  be  considered  sufficient  evidence 
that  God  has  made  to  men  a  revelation 
of  his  will?  Will  it  be  satisfactory,  if 
they  who  profess  to  be  inspired  are  ena- 
bled to  do  works  which  are  far  above  the 
power  of  man,  and  which  require  the 
Almighty  power  of  God?  No  one  will 
doubt  that  if  God  give  his  attestation  to 
any  declaration,  it  should  be  received  as 


14  THE    HOLY   SCRIPTUEES. 

true,  for  "  He  is  not  a  man  that  he 
should  lie."  If  then,  the  apostles  actually- 
wrought  miracles  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 
and  in  confirmation  of  their  doctrine,  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  they  were  inspired. 
That  such  miracles  were  actually  wrought 
openly  and  in  the  presence  of  watchful 
and  bitter  enemies  is  a  matter  of  record. 
The  four  evangelists  have  testified  in  the 
gospels,  that  Christ  gave  sight  to  the 
blind,  hearing  to  the  deaf,  health  to  the 
sick,  sound  limbs  to  the  cripple,  and  that 
in  several  instances,  before  a  multitude 
of  people,  he  raised  the  dead.  They  tes- 
tify, that  after  his  crucifixion  he  rose 
from  the  dead;  and  that  forty  days  after 
his  crucifixion  he  sent  down,  as  he  had 
promised,  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  apos- 
tles, bestowing  upon  them  and  others 
various  miraculous  gifts,  which  Paul 
publicly  testifies  were  common  in  the 
churches.  The  truth  of  Christianity  then 
rests  on  this  single  point.  Is  the  testimony 
of  these  miracles  true,  or  a  mere  fable? 


THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  15 

That  the  gospels  were  written  near  the 
time  when  these  things  were  done  is  ca- 
pable of  the  fullest  proof.  Indeed,  had 
not  these  facts  been  credited  fully  by  the 
first  disciples,  they  never  would  have 
submitted  to  such  sacrifices,  and  exposed 
themselves  to  such  dangers.  All  earthly 
considerations  weighed  heavily  on  the 
other  side.  Every  convert  to  Christianity 
is,  therefore,  a  witness  of  the  truth  of 
these  miracles ;  for  they  had  every  mo- 
tive to  examine  into  the  truth,  and  the 
facts  were  of  such  a  nature  that  they 
could  not  have  been  deceived. 

It  does  indeed  require  strong  evidence 
to  satisfy  the  mind  that  there  has  been  a 
departure  from  the  common  course  of 
nature;  but  testimony  may  be  so  strong 
that  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  doubt  of 
the  miracles  which  it  is  brought  to  attest. 
It  is  admitted  that  there  have  often  been 
false  witnesses,  and  that  we  may  be  de- 
ceived by  trusting  to  insufficient  testimo- 
ny; but,  we  know,  also,  that  in  many 


16  THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES. 

cases  our  faith  in  testimony  is  as  strong 
as  in  those  things  which  have  passed  be- 
fore our  eyes.  The  point  of  examination 
then  is,  whether  it  is  more  probable  that 
the  testimony  is  false,  or  that  a  mira- 
cle has  been  wrought.  If  many  persons, 
without  any  motive  to  deceive,  and  with- 
out previous  concert,  agree  and  stand  to 
it  in  the  midst  of  threatenings  and  suffer- 
ings, that  they  have  witnessed  miracles, 
it  would  be  folly  to  disbelieve.  And, 
especially,  if  such  events  followed  in  such 
immediate  and  continued  succession  as 
can  only  be  accounted  for  by  supposing 
the  miracles  to  have  been  performed,  the 
evidence  may  arise  to  such  a  degree  of 
certainty  as  to  assure  us  that  we  are  not 
deceived.  Now,  the  conversion  of  the 
civilized  world  to  Christianity  can  never 
be  accounted  for  on  any  supposition  but 
the  truth  of  the  miracles  and  supernatu- 
ral influence  accompanying  the  gospel. 
And  the  whole  train  of  succeeding  events 


THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  17 

goes  to  corroborate  the  truth  of  the  evan- 
gelical history. 

Another  incontrovertible  evidence  of 
the  truth  of  Christianity  is  the  salutary^ 
effects  which  it  has  produced  in  the  world. 
The  conversion  and  reformation  of  sin- 
ners has  been  a  standing  proof  of  the 
divine  origin  of  the  Bible;  and  this  evi- 
dence is  not  confined  to  ancient  days. 
Blessed  be  God,  clear  and  striking  in- 
stances of  the  reformation  of  wicked 
men  have  occurred  under  our  own  ob- 
servation. And  the  gospel  has  produced 
in  our  own  times  such  a  remarkable 
change  in  the  moral  and  civil  condition 
of  some  of  the  most  ignorant,  degraded, 
and  vicious  tribes  of  heathen,  that  if 
there  were  no  other  evidence  of  its  truth 
this  would  go  far  to  satisfy  an  honest 
mind.  Can  any  reasonable  man  believe 
that  preaching  a  cunningly  devised  fable 
would  turn  men  from  their  sins,  to  which 
they  had  been  long  habituated  ? 
2 


18  THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES. 

Hundreds  and  thousands,  also,  in 
Christian  lands  can  testify  that  the  truth 
of  God  has  produced  a  powerful  and 
salutary  effect  on  their  own  minds,  con- 
vincing them  of  their  sin  and  danger, 
and  exciting  in  them  trust  in  Christ,  which 
has  enkindled  their  love,  and  brought 
sweet  peace  into  their  troubled  breasts. 
And  we  see,  continually,  the  power  of 
the  gospel  to  afford  consolation  in  afflic- 
tion and  to  buoy  up  the  soul  with  assured 
hope  even  in  the  hour  of  death. 

But,  if  all  the  convincing  proofs,  above 
mentioned,  were  wanting,  the  undeniable 
prophecies  which  have  been  literally  ful- 
filled, are  a  clear  demonstration  of  a 
divine  revelation ;  for  who  can  predict 
distant  future  events  but  God  alone? 
The  prophecies  relate  to  the  fortunes  of 
the  Jewish  people — to  the  destiny  of 
many  great  and  proud  cities  and  nations; 
but  the  most  important  predictions  of  the 
Old   Testament   relate  to  the  Messiah, 


THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  19 

which  were  literally  fulfilled  in  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  Yet  no  prophecy  of  Scripture 
is  more  striking  and  convincing  than  that 
of  Christ  respecting  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  and  the  ruin  and  dispersion  of 
the  Jews. 


20 


CHAPTER    III. 

CKEATIOK. 

The  first  information  which  the  Bible 
gives  us,  is  of  the  creation  of  all  things  out 
of  nothing  in  the  space  of  six  days.  No 
other  book  gives  any  satisfactory  account 
of  the  creation  of  the  world,  or  of  the 
origin  of  the  human  race.  The  Bible 
does  not  profess  to  inform  us  when  the 
substance  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
was  created  ;  but  it  assures  us  that  it  had 
a  beginning,  and  that  God  was  its  crea- 
tor. When  the  time  arrived  for  the  crea- 
tion of  man  upon  the  earth,  the  confused 
and  shapeless  mass  which  was  covered 
with  darkness,  under  the  forming  and 
creative  agency  of  the  Almighty,  began 
to  assume  a  new  appearance.  And  the 
effects  produced  were  not  wrought  in- 


CREATION.  21 

stantly,  but  day  after  day,  for  six  con- 
secutive days.  On  the  first  day,  light 
was  created,  for  God  said  "  Let  there  be 
light,  and  there  was  light."  On  the 
second  day,  God  formed  the  firmament 
or  atmosphere,  which  separated  between 
the  water  in  the  seas,  and  that  held  sus- 
pended in  the  clouds,  or  invisibly  in  the 
air.  On  the  third  day,  the  waters  were 
collected  into  the  basin  prepared  for  them, 
and  were  separated  from  the  earth  or  dry 
land,  which  now  became  visible;  and  on 
this  day,  also,  the  earth  was  planted  with 
every  kind  of  herb  yielding  seed,  and  tree 
yielding  fruit  after  their  kinds  respective- 
ly, with  the  power  of  propagating  their 
species.  On  the  fourth  day,  the  lumina- 
ries of  heaven  were  formed,  or  then  began 
to  shine  upon  the  earth ;  the  sun  to  rule  the 
day,  and  the  moon  to  rule  the  night ;  and 
also  the  stars.  If  it  be  asked  how  light 
could  exist  and  form  the  day,  before  the 
creation  of  the  sun,  it  must  be  acknow- 
ledged that  our  knowledge  of  the  elements 


22  CREATION. 

of  matter  is  very  indistinct  and  imperfect. 
The  question  proceeds  on  the  supposition 
that  light  is  a  substance  which  comes  out 
of  the  sun  by  emanation  ;  but  it  is  much 
more  reasonable  to  believe,  that  light  is 
nothing  more  than  a  certain  condition  of 
a  widely  diffused  fluid,  which  when  ex- 
cited produces  in  us  the  sense  of  sight; 
just  as  another  fluid  when  agitated,  by  its 
undulations  produces  in  us  the  sense  of 
hearing.  On  this  subject  we  assert 
nothing;  but  if  the  theory  mentioned 
will  remove  the  difficulty,  it  is  a  proper 
answer  to  the  question.  But  even  if  the 
sun  were  a  body  of  light,  the  substance 
of  light  might  have  been  created  before 
it  was  conglomerated  into  one  great  body. 
On  the  fifth  day  the  water  and  air  were 
replenished  with  living  inhabitants,  with 
constitutions,  instincts,  and  senses,  exactly 
suited  to  the  element  in  which  they  were 
placed.  On  the  sixth  day,  the  earth  was 
stocked  with  beasts  and  reptiles  of  every 
species. 


CREATION.  23 

And,  finally,  a  council  was,  as  it  were, 
called  in  heaven,  when  the  crowning 
work  of  creation  was  about  to  be  pro- 
duced; that  is,  the  adorable  Trinity  de- 
liberated, speaking  after  the  manner  of 
man,  "  And  God  said.  Let  us  make  man 
in  our  image,  and  after  our  likeness,  and 
let  them  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of 
the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air, 
and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth, 
and  over  every  thing  that  creepeth  on  the 
earth." 

As  God  is  a  spirit,  and  has  no  bodily 
parts,  what  is  here  said  of  his  "  image 
and  likeness"  must  relate  to  his  spiritual 
and  moral  nature.  As  man  was  created 
an  immortal,  intelligent  spirit,  in  this  re- 
spect he  bears  a  resemblance  to  his  Cre- 
ator; but  we  have  stronger  evidence  for 
referrinsf  these  words  to  the  moral  imao-e 
of  God.  For  the  apostle  Paul,  when 
speaking  of  the  renewal  of  man  in  the 
image  of  God,  makes  it  to  consist  in 
"  righteousness  and  true  holiness,"  (Eph. 


24  CREATION. 

iv.  24.)  And,  in  another  place,  he 
makes  this  image  to  consist  in  "  know- 
ledge:'' "  And  have  put  on  the  new  man 
which  is  renewed  in  knowledge,  after  the 
image  of  Him  that  created  him,"  in  which 
last  words  there  is  a  plain  reference  to 
the  history  of  man's  creation  in  Genesis. 

But,  as  it  was  not  judged  to  be  good 
that  man  should  be  alone,  his  Creator, 
in  great  kindness,  formed  for  him  a  suit- 
able companion,  a  woman  taken  from 
his  own  side,  a  help  meet  for  him,  and 
the  mother  of  all  living.  To  the  man 
was  given  the  name,  Adam,  the  import 
of  which  is  "  red,"  and  to  the  woman  the 
name  Eve,  which  signifies  "  living." 

God  pronounced  all  that  he  had  crea- 
ted "  good,"  "  very  good."  Nothing  im- 
perfect ever  came  from  the  hands  of  God. 
All  creatures  were  not  made  equal;  and 
in  respect  to  constitution  some  are  more 
perfect  than  others;  but  every  thing  is 
perfect  in  its  kind.  In  creation,  as  far  as 
it  is  subjected  to  our  view,  there  is  a 


CREATION.  25 

beautiful  gradation  of  creatures  from  the 
most  exalted  angel  down  to  the  minutest 
atom ;  and  among  animated  creatures 
there  is  a  scale  of  perfection,  according 
to  which  one  living  creature  rises  above 
another  by  almost  insensible  degrees. 
And  among  the  creatures  there  is  observ- 
able a  mutual  dependence  of  one  upon 
another ;  and  in  the  whole  there  is  an 
astonishing  harmony;  or  if  there  should 
be  the  appearance  of  disorder  and  con- 
fusion in  some  things,  it  must  be  attribu- 
ted to  our  ignorance;  for  as  far  as  we 
can  understand  the  works  of  God,  every 
thing  seems  to  be  in  its  proper  place, 
and  governed  by  laws  adapted  to  its 
nature. 


26 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PROVIDENCE    OF    GOD. 

"  The  providence  of  God  is  his  most 
holy,  wise,  and  powerful  preserving  and 
governing  all  his  creatures  and  all  their 
actions." 

All  creatures  are  necessarily  depend- 
ent on  the  Creator  for  their  continued  ex- 
istence. If  he  should  withdraw  his  sup- 
porting hand,  they  would  cease  to  be. 
If  we  admit  that  God  in  wisdom  made 
the  world,  he  had  some  end  in  view  in 
the  works  which,  by  his  power,  he  pro- 
duced: it  is  most  certain,  therefore,  that 
he  will  so  direct  and  govern  his  crea- 
tures that  the  end  designed  shall  be  ac- 
complished. Being  perfect  in  wisdom 
and  power,  he  is  able  to  order  all  events, 


PROVIDENCE    OF    GOD.  27  * 

and  the  actions  of  all  creatures,  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  attain  the  end,  which  he  pur- 
posed to  himself  in  the  beginning.  To 
suppose  that  his  purpose  failed  of  its  ac- 
comphshment,  or  that  the  actual  state  of 
things  in  the  universe,  is  different  from  the 
original  plan  of  the  Creator,  would  be 
attended  with  so  many  absurd  conse- 
quences, that  the  idea  should  not  for  a 
moment  be  admitted.  Such  an  opinion 
would  detract  essentially  from  the  wis- 
dom or  power  of  the  Creator,  and  would 
destroy  all  confidence  in  him  as  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  world ;  for  if  disconcerted 
and  disappointed  in  the  execution  of  his 
plan,  in  one  instance,  there  can  be  no 
security  that  the  same  will  not  happen 
again  and  again,  until  every  thing  shall 
fall  into  disorder;  and  that  the  end  pro- 
posed to  himself  by  the  Creator,  will  be 
for  ever  frustrated.  The  only  reason 
which  has  induced  any  to  entertain  the 
opinion  that  the  plan  of  the  Almighty  has 
been  disconcerted,  is  the  introduction  of 


28  PROVIDENCE    OF    GOD. 

sin  into  the  world  by  the  actions  of  free 
agents.  It  has  been  assumed  as  a  prin- 
ciple, that  God  is  not  only  not  the  author 
of  sin,  which  is  true,  but  that,  consistent- 
ly with  his  holiness,  he  could  not  form  a 
purpose,  that  it  should  be  permitted  to 
exist.  Though  the  motive  which  has 
led  many  to  maintain  that  sin  has  come 
into  the  world  in  opposition  to  the  purpose 
of  God  is  good,  yet  the  opinion  is  utterly 
untenable,  in  consistence  with  the  perfec- 
tions of  Jehovah.  It  would  make  it 
necessary  to  believe,  not  only  that  he 
did  not  design  that  evil  should  exist,  but 
that  he  did  not  foresee  the  event ;  lor  if 
he  had  foreseen  it,  he  could  have  pre- 
vented it,  if  in  no  other  way,  yet  by 
omittino;  to  brins;  into  existence  a  crea- 
ture  capable  of  frustrating  his  plan ;  or 
by  producing  a  creature  who,  he  fore- 
knew, would  not  transgress.  We  must 
believe,  therefore,  that  the  purposes  of 
God  cannot  fail  of  their  accomplishment, 
and    hence,  that   he  not  only  foresaw, 


PROVIDENCE    OF    GOD.  29 

but  determined  to  suffer  his  creatures,  in 
the  exercise  of  their  freedom,  to  commit 
sin.  Yet  this  permission  does  not  imply 
that  he  was  the  author  of  sin,  or  that  he 
can  look  upon  it  with  the  least  favour  or 
approbation  ;  for  sin  is  ever  that  abomi- 
nable thing  which  God  hates.  But  he 
permitted  free  agents  to  commit  sin ; 
that  is,  he  did  not  interpose  to  hinder 
them  from  acting  as  they  pleased,  be- 
cause he  knew  that  he  could  make  the 
existence  of  sin  and  misery,  the  occasion 
of  more  illustriously  displaying  his  attri- 
butes, particularly  his  justice  and  his  mer- 
cy, than  could  have  been  done  in  other  cir- 
cumstances. The  reason  then  why  sin 
was  permitted  to  exist  was,  that  God 
might  have  an  opportunity  of  manifest- 
ing his  own  glory  to  all  intelligent  crea- 
tures more  conspicuously;  which  is  the 
great  end  of  all  his  works  and  dispensa- 
tions. The  providence  of  God  in  regard 
to  sin  consists,  first,  in  his  purpose  to 
permit   free   agents,  in   the  exercise  of 


30  PROVIDENCE    OF    GOD. 

their  freedom,  to  commit  sin  ;  secondly, 
in  so  directing  and  governing  sinful  crea- 
tures, that  their  actions  may  be  made 
subservient  to  his  own  wise  purposes;  and 
when  they  would  not  have  this  tendency 
they  are  restrained,  according  to  that 
declaration  in  the  Psalms,  "  He  maketh 
the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him,  and  the 
remainder  of  wrath  he  restraineth."  The 
Holy  Scriptures  constantly  represent  the 
providence  of  God  as  concerned  in  the  evil 
actions  of  men,  not  as  causing  or  approv- 
ing them,  but  as  permitting,  governing, 
and  directing  them,  so  that  they  may 
promote  his  own  glory.  Thus,  the  envy 
of  Joseph's  brethren,  which  led  them  to 
sell  him  as  a  slave,  was  overruled  to  be 
the  occasion  of  preserving  the  whole 
family  from  death.  The  crucifixion  of 
our  Lord  was  by  the  hands  of  wricked 
men,  in  the  free  indulgence  of  their  own 
malice,  but  it  was  nevertheless,  "  by  the 
determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge 
of  God."     And  the  same  is  true  of  all 


PROVIDENCE    OF    GOD.  31 

sinful  actions ;  they  are  hateful  to  God, 
considered  in  their  own  nature,  and  yet 
his  providence  is  concerned  in  their  per- 
mission, and  direction,  so  as  to  promote 
a  good  end.  The  providence  of  God, 
therefore,  in  its  relation  to  the  sins  of 
men,  is  most  holy  and  wise,  and  does  not 
interfere  in  the  least  with  man's  free 
agency.  "  He  worketh  all  things  ac- 
cording to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will :" 
and  his  "  counsel  it  shall  stand."  "Is 
there  evil  in  the  city,  and  I  have  not  done 
iti" 

The  providence  of  God  extends  to  all 
events,  great  and  small.  Both  reason 
and  revelation  teach  this  doctrine.  For 
if  God  governs  the  world  at  all,  his  pro- 
vidence must  extend  to  small  things  as 
well  as  to  great,  because  of  the  concate- 
nation of  events,  according  to  which  the 
great  often  depend  for  their  existence  on 
the  small.  And  if  reason  were  silent, 
the  Scriptures  speak  out  clearly  on  this 
point.     "  The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap,  but 


32  TROVIDENCE    OF    GOD. 

the  whole  disposal  thereof  is  of  the  Lord." 
"Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  far- 
thing, and  one  of  them  shall  not  fall 
to  the  ground  without  your  Father." 
"  For  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all 
numbered." 

The  doctrine  of  a  particular  superin- 
tending providence,  as  it  is  a  most  reason- 
able, so  is  a  most  comfortable  truth.  If 
any  thing  could  occur  without  being  in- 
cluded in  the  plan  of  the  divine  govern- 
ment, we  never  could  feel  that  we  were 
safe.  The  sure  ground  of  our  trust  in 
God  is,  "  that  He  works  all  things  ac- 
cording to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will." 
When  the  dark  and  cloudy  day  of  adver- 
sity comes,  and  billow  after  billow  rolls 
over  us,  and  threatens  to  overwhelm  us, 
our  consolation  is  that  our  God  rideth  on 
the  whirlwind  and  directeth  the  storm. 
We  may  often  think  with  Jacob,  "  that 
all  these  things  are  against  us;"  but 
when  we  can  view  every  event,  however 
afflictive,  as  the  appointment  of  our  hea- 


PROVIDENCE    OF    GOD.  33 

venly  Father,  we  can  say  with  Eli,  "  It 
is  the  Lord;  let  him  do  what  seemeth 
him  good."  It  is  a  delightful  thought 
to  the  true  Christian,  that  all  events  are 
under  the  government  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence. The  book  of  providence,  the  leaves 
of  which  are  successively  unfolded  day 
after  day,  should  be  carefully  studied, 
and  its  indications  faithfully  used  in 
directing  us  in  the  path  of  duty. 


34 


CHAPTER  V. 


As  man  was  created  a  free,  moral  agent, 
it  is  not  only  true  that  he  was  capable 
of  being  governed  by  a  moral  law,  but 
such  a  law  resulted  necessarily  from  his 
relation  to  his  Creator.  It  was  his  duty 
as  it  was  his  delight  to  exercise  love  and 
every  holy  affection  toward  that  Being 
who  possessed  every  perfection.  Al- 
though man  was  perfect  in  holiness,  be- 
ing created  in  the  image  of  God,  yet  he 
was  mutable,  as  being  a  creature  ;  for  im- 
mutability properly  belongs  to  God  only. 
All  accountable  creatures  are,  therefore, 
from  their  very  condition,  in  a  state  of 
probation,  that  is,  they  are  made  subject 


man's  primeval  state.  35 

to  a  law  which  they  are  required  to  obey, 
but  which,  in  the  exercise  of  their  free- 
dom, they  may  disobey.  It  cannot  be 
doubted  that  man  was  endowed  with  full 
power  to  comply  with  all  the  divine  re- 
quisitions. The  law  demanded  nothing 
but  the  faithful  exercise  of  those  powers 
and  affections  which  belong  to  human 
nature.  The  sum  of  all  obedience  was 
to  love  the  Lord  his  God  with  all  his 
heart.  This  was  not  only  easy  to  an 
uncorrupted  nature,  but  his  highest  hap- 
piness was  connected  with  it.  Man's 
probation  would  have  continued  with- 
out limit,  unless  God,  in  great  conde- 
scension and  kindness,  had  been  pleased 
to  enter  into  covenant  with  him. 

The  word  covenant  is  to  be  understood 
in  a  much  more  general  and  compre- 
hensive sense,  than  the  common  import 
of  the  English  term  covenant.  It  is  a 
solemn  transaction  in  which  God  appoints 
and  establishes  certain  conditions  on 
which   man   might  become  partaker  of 


36         man's  primeval  state. 

eternal  life  in  heaven,  secure  from  all 
danger  of  forfeiting  his  interest  in  the 
favour  of  God.  And  as  it  pleased  God 
that  the  human  kind  should  come  into 
the  world  in  connexion  with  the  first 
man,  and  should  proceed  from  him  as 
his  children,  it  seemed  good  to  infinite 
wisdom  to  make  him  the  federal  head 
and  representative  of  all  his  posterity ;  so 
that  upon  his  rendering  perfect  obedience 
to  the  commandments  of  God,  for  a  cer- 
tain limited  period,  eternal  life  would  be 
secured  to  himself  and  to  all  his  natural 
descendants ;  and  on  the  other  hand, 
if  he  transgressed  the  law  given  to  him, 
that  his  sin  should  be  considered  as  the 
sin  of  the  whole  race;  or,  in  other  words, 
should  be  so  imputed  to  them,  as  that 
they  should  be  brought  into  existence  in 
the  same  moral  condition  into  which  he 
should  fall,  and  subject  to  the  same  pe- 
nalties. And  in  order  that  there  might  be 
a  clear  and  decisive  test  of  the  obedience 
or  disobedience  of  man,  under  this  cove- 


man's  primeval  state.  37 

nant  of  works,  a  particular  tree  was  se- 
lected, called  on  account  of  its  use,  "  the 
tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil." 
Although  the  fruit  of  this  tree  was  good 
for  food,  and  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  yet 
our  first  parents  were  forbidden  to  eat  of  it, 
or  even  to  touch  it;  and  thus  it  became  a 
precise  test  of  obedience  or  disobedience. 

There  was  also  another  sacramental 
tree,  called  "  the  tree  of  life,"  the  fruit 
of  which  was  to  be  used  to  prevent  all 
disease  or  tendency  to  death;  or,  more 
probably,  to  be  a  sign  and  seal  of  eternal 
li^e  to  our  first  parents,  when  their  period 
of  probation  should  be  ended,  provided 
they  continued  in  obedience. 

Man,  when  created  out  of  the  dust  of 
the  earth,  was  inspired  with  a  rational 
and  immortal  soul,  and  placed  in  a  pleas- 
ant garden,  planted  wiih  every  kind  of 
trees,  bearing  nutricious  fruits;  the  tem- 
perature of  which  was  so  mild  that  no 
covering  for  the  human  body  was  needed. 
As  he  was  without  experience,  all  know- 


38         man's  primeval  state. 

ledge  necessary  for  the  preservation  of 
life  and  the  performance  of  duty  was 
given  to  him,  and  among  these  gifts  was 
that  of  speech,  without  which  there  could 
have  been  no  easy  interchange  of  senti- 
ments, nor  any  considerable  progress  in 
knowledge.  Man  was  also  made  lord 
of  the  creation  ;  for  God  said  to  his  newly 
formed  creature,  "  Have  dominion  over 
the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of 
the  air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that 
moveth  on  the  earth."  And  in  this  re- 
spect, also,  man  was  the  image  of  his 
Creator.  It  was,  therefore,  left  to  Adam 
to  give  names  to  every  beast  of  the  field 
and  fowl  of  the  air  ;  and  for  this  purpose 
they  were  made  to  pass  before  him,  "  and 
whatever  Adam  called  every  living  crea- 
ture, that  was  the  name  thereof" 

It  would  seem  from  the  tenor  of  the 
sacred  history,  that  God  conversed  freely 
with  his  creature  man,  while  he  remained 
in  Paradise,  either  by  the  ministry  of 
holy  angels;  or,  more  probably,  by  his 


man's  primeval  state.  39 

Son,  assuming  by  anticipation  the  ap- 
pearance of  man.  But,  on  points  where 
the  sacred  Scriptures  do  not  speak  de- 
cisively, it  is  our  wisdom  to  be  silent. 

Here  we  may  contemplate  the  inter- 
esting condition  of  our  first  parents. 
They  were  holy  and  happy,  and  had 
nothing  to  fear  but  sin ;  yet,  considering 
the  natural  weakness  of  creatures,  their 
situation  was  most  critical,  and  the  ever- 
lasting interests  of  unnumbered  millions 
were  suspended  on  the  fallible  will  of  our 
first  parents.  And  soon,  alas!  all  was 
lost ! 

Upon  a  survey  of  the  condition  in 
which  man  was  placed,  when  created, 
there  are  two  reflections  which  force 
themselves  on  our  minds. 

1.  The  goodness  of  God  to  the  first 
man  and  to  the  race.  He  was  indeed  fear- 
fully and  wonderfi.illy  made,  as  to  the 
sfructureand  constitution  of  his  body,  and, 
also,  as  to  the  intellectual  endowments  of 


40         man's  primeval  state. 

his  mind,  being  enriched  with  the  noble 
faculties  of  reason,  memory,  and  imagi- 
nation. But,  above  all,  the  goodness  of 
the  Creator  is  manifest  in  stamping  upon 
the  soul  of  man  his  own  moral  image, 
and  in  communicating  to  him  all  that 
knowledge  which  was  requisite  for  the 
performance  of  duty  and  enjoyment  of 
happiness.  This  goodness  was  also  con- 
spicuous in  the  external  provision  made 
for  the  supply  of  all  his  wants,  and  the 
gratification  of  all  his  innocent  desires. 

2.  Comparing  the  condition  of  Adam 
in  innocence  with  that  of  man  now,  we 
may  form  some  idea  of  the  greatness  of 
our  loss.  A  withering  curse  has  fallen 
upon  the  ground  itself,  man  has  lost  his 
perfection  of  life  and  health,  and  has 
forfeited  his  immortality.  But  the  heavi- 
est part  of  the  curse  has  lighted  on  his 
moral  powers.  The  image  of  God,  which 
was  his  beauty  and  dignity,  has  been 
effaced.     Corruption  and  disorder  have 


man's  primeval  state.         41 

ensued ;  and,  in  the  place  of  happiness, 
misery,  in  its  multiform  kinds,  has  seized 
upon  him.  Alas!  the  crown  has  fallen 
from  his  head,  and  the  most  fine  gold  has 
become  dim  ! 


42 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FALL  OF  3IAN. 

HoAv  long  our  first  parents  continued  in 
innocence  we  are  not  informed,  and  it 
would  be  vain  to  conjecture;  but  the 
common  opinion  has  been  that  the  time 
wns  short. 

Already  an  enemy  of  God  existed;  a 
fhllrn  spirit,  who  had  led  a  multitude  of 
his  fellow  angels  into  rebellion,  who  were 
cast  out  of  their  celestial  habitations,  but 
had  liberty,  for  a  season,  to  roam  about 
the  universe  of  God.  Satan,  the  prince 
of  the  devils,  envying  the  happiness  of 
man,  formed  the  design  of  seducing  him 
from  his  allegiance,  and  bringing  him 
into   the  same   degraded  and  wretclied 


FALL    OF    MAN.  43 

condition  with  himself.  He,  therefore, 
watched  his  opportunity,  and  knowing 
the  woman  to  be  the  "  weaker  vessel," 
he  resolved  to  make  his  first  assault  on 
her.  She  seems  to  have  been  curiously- 
gazing  on  the  beautiful  fruit  of  the  for- 
bidden tree,  when  the  arch-fiend,  making 
use  of  the  body  of  the  serpent,  which 
was  the  wisest  of  the  animal  tribes,  and 
had  originally  an  erect  and  pleasing 
form,  "  said  unto  the  woman ;  yea, 
hath  God  said,  ye  shall  not  eat  of  every 
tree  of  the  garden  ?  And  the  woman 
said  unto  the  serpent,  we  may  eat  of  the 
fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden :  but  of 
the  fruit  of  the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst 
of  the  garden,  God  hath  said,  ye  shall 
not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye  touch  it, 
lest  ye  die.  And  the  serpent  said  unto 
the  woman,  ye  shall  not  surely  die:  for 
God  doth  know,  that  in  the  day  ye  eat 
thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall  be  opened  ; 
and  yp  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good 
and  evil.     And  when  the  woman  saw 


44  FALL    OF    MAN. 

that  the  tree  was  good  for  food,  and  that 
it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  and  a  tree  to 
be  desired  to  make  one  wise ;  she  took 
of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat;  and 
gave  also  unto  her  husband  with  her, 
and  he  did  eat."  Here  the  positive  com- 
mandment of  God  was  violated,  the  cove- 
nant of  life  broken,  and  the  curse  of 
death  incurred,  not  only  for  himself,  but 
for  all  his  posterity.  Philosophically  to 
explain  how  a  perfectly  holy  creature 
could  sin  is  not  easy  ;  but  as  a  practical 
matter  the  thing  is  not  difficult.  The 
mind  of  man  was  incapable  of  thinking 
of  many  things  at  once ;  to  his  constitu- 
tion belong  many  natural  desires  and 
appetites.  The  objects  suited  to  these 
might  so  occupy  the  mind,  for  a  season, 
as  to  exclude  higher  and  nobler  ideas; 
and,  in  a  moment  of  inadvertenfy,  the 
lower  propensities,  which  act  with  a  blind 
force,  might  prevail  with  persons,  before 
innocent,  to  do  an  act  which  God  had 
forbidden;  especially,  when  by  an  im- 


FALL    OF    MAN.  45 

pudent  falsehood  the  danger  of  the  act 
was  positively  denied,  and  when  it  was 
confidently  alleged  that  great  good  would 
be  the  result. 

Whether  the  man  was  influenced  to 
eat,  by  the  same  motives  which  prevail- 
ed with  the  woman,  is  a  matter  of  uncer- 
tainty. Many  suppose  that  he  was  led 
by  love  to  his  wife  to  determine  to  per- 
ish with  her,  rather  than  be  forever  sepa- 
rated from  her.  It  matters  little  what 
were  his  motives;  the  fact  was,  that  he 
deliberately  transgressed  the  law  of  God, 
and  thus  involved  a  world  in  ruin. 

The  immediate  consequences  of  the 
fatal  transgression  were,  a  new  set  of 
feelings,  of  guilt,  shame,  and  fear,  which 
caused  them  to  cover  themselves  with  fig 
leaves,  and  to  hide  themselves  among  the 
thick  trees  of  the  garden ;  and  when 
questioned  by  their  Maker  they  attempt- 
ed to  excuse  themselves,  and  to  charge 
their  fault  upon  another.  They  were 
now  driven  from  the  garden,  and  flam- 


46  FALL    OF    MAN. 

ing  cheriibims  stationed  at  the  entrance  to 
prevent  their  return.  The  ground  was 
cursed  for  their  sake,  and  doomed  hence- 
forth to  bring  forth  thorns  and  briars  ;  so 
that  man  would  have  to  eat  his  bread  by 
the  sweat  of  his  brow.  The  sentence  of 
death  was  also  confirmed.  "  Dust  thou 
art,  and  unto  dust  thou  shalt  return." 
It  may  be  asked,  how  the  threatening, 
*'  In  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt 
surely  die,"  was  executed,  since  Adam 
continued  to  live  upon  earth  for  more 
than  nine  hundred  years?  "  Let  God 
be  true,  but  every  man  a  liar."  This 
threatening  was  executed,  or  began  to  be 
executed,  that  very  day;  for,  from  the 
moment  of  eating  the  forbidden  fruit,  he 
became  mortal;  death  already  began  to 
work.  Again,  in  death,  as  threatened 
in  the  penalty,  every  kind  of  evil  is  in- 
cluded. Temporal  death,  consisting  of 
a  separation  of  soul  and  body,  was  not 
the  principal  thing ;  but  spiritual  death, 
which  consists  in  a  separation  from  God, 


FALL    OP    MAN.  47 

a  loss  of  his  favour,  and  image,  and 
which  perpetuated,  is  eternal  d^aih,  com- 
menced on  the  very  day  on  which  man 
sinned.  While  man,  after  the  fall,  re- 
tained all  his  physical  powers  of  soul  and 
body,  and  continued  still  to  be  a  moral 
and  accountable  creature,  he  entirely  lost 
that  clothing  of  moral  excellence,  which 
was  the  beauty  and  glory  of  his  nature. 
He  was  now  dead  in  law,  and  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins ;  and  from  being  a 
holy  being,  became  totally  depraved ; 
that  is,  destitute  of  any  principle  of  true 
holiness;  but  capable  of  unlimited  in- 
crease in  wickedness. 

That  the  posterity  of  Adam  "  sinned 
in  him,  and  fell  with  him  in  his  first 
transgression,"  is  evident  from  the  fact 
that  they  have  all  become  mortal,  and 
are  subjected  to  all  the  temporal  evils 
which  fell  upon  him.  They  are  all  ex- 
cluded from  paradise,  and  are  forced  to 
till  the  earth  with  the  sweat  of  their  brow, 
which  still  groans  under  the  curse,  and 


48  FALL    OF    MAN. 

spontaneously  brings  forth  noxious  weeds 
instead  of  useful  grains  and  fruits.  Wo- 
man is  still,  all  over  the  world,  subject 
to  the  same  pains  in  parturition,  which 
were  threatened  to  Eve.  But  more  than 
this,  men  come  into  the  world  destitute 
of  that  holiness,  or  original  righteous- 
ness, in  which  Adam  was  created.  "  By 
nature  all  are  children  of  wrath.  All  go 
astray  from  their  earliest  years.  There 
is  none  that  doeth  good,  no  not  one.  There 
is  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes,  and 
the  way  of  peace  have  they  not  known." 
This  state  of  corruption  is  not  confined 
to  idolatrous  Gentiles,  but  belongs  also  to 
the  Jews,  who  were  in  external  covenant 
with  God.  "  All  have  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God."  And  these 
streams  of  iniquity  David  traces  up  to 
the  polluted  fountain,  w^hen  he  cries  out, 
"  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity,  and 
in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me." 

That  the  universality  of  death  in  the 
human  race  is  owing  to  the  transgression 


FALL    OF    3IAN.  49 

of  Adam,  is  clearly  evinced  from  the  ex- 
press declarations  of  Holy  Scripture. 
"As  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall 
all  be  made  alive."  "  As  by  one  man 
sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by 
sin ;  so  death  hath  passed  on  all  men, 
because  that  (or  in  whom)  all  have  sin- 
ned." "  As  by  the  disobedience  of  one, 
many  were  made  sinners."  "By  one 
man's  offence,  death  reigned  by  one." 
"  Through  the  offence  of  one  many  are 
dead."  "  By  the  offence  of  one,  judg- 
ment came  upon  all  men  to  condemna- 
tion." And  the  facts,  known  by  univer- 
sal experience,  are  in  exact  accordance 
with  these  declarations  of  the  Bible.  All 
men  die.  And  that  this  is  on  account 
of  the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin,  is  evi- 
dent from  this,  that  death  reigns  over 
those  who  have  not  sinned  after  the  si- 
militude of  Adam's  transgression ;  that  is, 
over  infants  who  have  not  been  guilty 
of  any  actual  violation  of  the  law  of  God. 
4 


50  FALL    OF    MAN. 

Whether  it  was  just  in  God  to  consti- 
tute Adam  the  representative  of  all  his 
posterity,  and  suspend  their  salvation  on 
his  obedience,  is  not  a  question  for  us  to 
discuss.  Whatever  God  does  is  just, 
and  not  only  just  but  wise;  and  though 
darkness  may  rest  on  this  transaction, 
this  is  owing  to  our  ignorance  and 
prejudice.  We  need  not  fear  that  the 
Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  not  be  able  to 
vindicate  his  own  dispensations  to  the 
whole  universe. 

Some  have  thought  to  evade  or  lessen 
the  apparent  hardship  of  the  case,  by 
denying  the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin  to 
his  posterity,  and  maintaining  that  chil- 
dren were  only  punished  for  the  depraved 
nature  derived  from  Adam.  But  how 
came  they  to  inherit  this  depraved  na- 
ture? Is  not  this  the  principal  part  of 
the  curse?  And  it  goes  a  very  little 
way  to  relieve  the  mind  which  labours, 
to  say  that  infants  are  punished  for  la- 


FALL    OF    MAN.  51 

tent  depravity,   instead  of  suffering  for 
the  sin  of  Adam. 

Instead  of  cavilling  and  complaining 
of  the  dispensations  of  the  Almighty,  by 
which  we  have  become  miserable  sinners, 
let  us  not  cease  to  bewail  the  deep  corrup- 
tion of  our  nature ;  and  let  us,  instead  of 
perplexing  ourselves  with  fruitless  inqui- 
ries about  the  principles  of  the  divine  go- 
vernment, by  which  we  have  been  involved 
in  this  ruin,  earnestly  seek  to  know  what 
that  gracious  remedy  is  which  God  has 
provided  for  our  recovery.  The  fact  is 
certain,  that  we  are  in  a  depraved  and 
miserable  state,  and  unless  we  are  re- 
deemed from  it,  we  must  be  forever  in  a 
state  of  degradation  and  misery.  When 
it  is  asserted,  that  man  is  totally  de- 
praved, the  meaning  is  not  that  he  is  as 
wicked  as  he  is  capable  of  being;  or, 
that  all  men  are  sinners  in  equal  degree; 
but,  that  all  men  are  by  nature  destitute 
of  any  principle  of  true   holiness ;    all 


52  FALL    OF    MAN. 

love  the  creature  supremely  and  their 
carnal  hearts  are  at  ennnity  with  God, 
and  not  subject  unto  his  law,  neither,  in- 
deed, can  be.  It  is  evident  from  what 
has  been  said,  that  man  is  in  a  helpless 
condition. 


53 


CHAPTER  VII. 

COVENANT    OF    GRACE  ;    OR,    PLAN    OP 
REDEMPTION. 

In  this  treatise,  the  word  "  covenant"  is 
used  in  a  wide  sense,  to  correspond  with 
the  latitude  which  belongs  to  the  original 
terms,  of  which  this  is  a  translation. 
Without  attempting  to  give  a  very  exact, 
or  logical  definition  of  the  phrase  "cove- 
nant of  grace,"  I  would  say,  that  by  it 
is  meant  the  whole  plan  of  redemption, 
from  its  commencement  to  its  consumma- 
tion ;  or,  that  gracious  method  of  bestow- 
ing salvation  on  elect  sinners,  which  is 
revealed  in  the  holy  Scriptures. 

The  fall  of  man,  by  which  God's  chief 
work  on  earth  was  ruined,  was  not  an 


64  COVENANT    OF    GRACE  ,* 

unexpected  event  which  took  the  omni- 
scient God  by  surprise  ;  nor  could  it  dis- 
concert that  scheme  which  had  been 
originally  conceived  in  the  eternal  mind. 
*'  Known  unto  God  are  all  his  works  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world,"  (Acts  xv. 
18.)  Although  God  is  not  the  author  of 
sin,  and  can  never  look  upon  evil  but 
with  the  strongest  disapprobation  ;  yet, 
liaving  created  man  a  free,  accountable 
creature,  and  having  endowed  him  with 
full  ability  to  obey  the  law  under  which 
be  was  placed,  he  chose  to  leave  him  to 
the  freedom  of  his  own  will,  without  ex- 
erting any  direct  influence  on  him,  either 
to  preserve  him  in  obedience,  or  to  cause 
him  to  fall.  And,  although  he  knew  that 
man  would  fall  into  sin  and  ruin,  yet 
he  purposed  to  permit  this,  that  is,  not  to 
hinder  it ;  because  he  knew  that  he 
could  make  it  the  occasion  of  a  more 
illustrious  display  of  his  attributes,  espe- 
cially of  his  jus'ice  and  mercy,  than 
could  be  made  under  other  circumstances. 


OK,    PLAN    OF    REDEMPTION.         55 

It  is  essential  to  just  views  of  the 
covenant  of  grace,  to  assume  it  as  an 
undoubted  truth,  that  the  condemnation 
of  mankind,  under  the  covenant  of  works, 
was  just,  and  that  the  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse was  not  under  any  obligations  to 
devise  any  plan  of  recovery  for  fallen 
man,  any  more  than  for  fallen  angels; 
for,  if  it  would  not  have  been  just  to 
leave  men  under  the  curse  which  they  had 
incurred,  then  that  covenant  or  law,  un- 
der which  man  was  placed,  was  not  a 
righteous  constitution ;  and  if  it  would 
not  have  been  just  to  leave  the  human 
race  in  the  ruin  in  which  they  were  in- 
volved, then  their  deliverance  would  not 
be  a  matter  of  grace,  but  of  justice.  A 
difference  of  opinion  may  exist  among 
the  orthodox,  as  to  the  kind  and  degree  of 
punishment  to  which  the  human  race 
would  have  been  subjected,  if  the  law 
had  been  executed  fully  upon  them,  but 
there  can  be  but  one  opinion  respecting 
the  justice  of  their  punishment,  by  all 


56  COVENANT    OF    GRACE ; 

who  entertain  correct  opinions  respecting 
the  character  and  dispensations  of  the 
Governor  of  the  universe.  God  was  not 
bound  to  provide  a  Redeemer;  this  was 
a  matter  of  mere  grace  and  favour. 

The  origin  of  the  covenant  of  grace 
was  the  unparalleled,  incomprehensible 
love  of  God  to  sinners  of  the  human  race. 
The  obstacles  in  the  way  of  accomplish- 
ing the  salvation  of  those  whose  death 
was  demanded  by  law  and  justice,  were 
apparently  insuperable.  It  may  be  pre- 
sumed, that  if  the  problem,  how  God 
could  be  just  and  yet  justify  the  ungodly, 
had  been  proposed  to  a  conclave  of  the 
brightest  angels  in  heaven,  they  could 
not  have  worked  out  a  salvation:  it 
would  have  baffled  their  utmost  intellec- 
tual efforts.  That  God  cannot  cease  to 
treat  his  creatures  according  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  eternal  justice  is  most  evident ; 
and  that  justice  required  that  the  sinner 
should  suffer,  according  to  his  demerit,  is 
equally  evident.     Where,  then,  is  there 


OR,    TLAIV    OF    REDEMPTION.  57 

any  toundation  for  hope  in  regard  to  those 
who  have  once  transgressed?  And  not 
only  the  justice,  but  the  truth  of  God 
stood  in  the  way  of  the  sinner's  salva- 
tion. God  had  threatened  the  penalty 
of  death,  interminable  death;  and  the 
Ruler  of  the  universe  must  maintain  the 
truth  of  his  word,  as  it  respects  his 
threatenings  as  well  as  his  promises, 
*'  God  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  lie; 
nor  the  son  of  man,  that  he  should  re- 
pent," (Num.  xxix.  13.)  But  that  which 
could  not  be  discovered  by  the  wisdom 
of  creatures,  was  devised  by  the  infinite 
wisdom  of  God.  In  the  counsels  of  the 
adorable  Trinity  the  plan  was  agreed 
upon.  Between  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
a  transaction  took  place,  which  may 
strictly  be  termed  a  covenant,  for,  speak- 
ing after  the  manner  of  men,  there  were 
mutual  stipulations  entered  into  between 
the  high  contracting  parties.  The  Father, 
as  Legislator  and  Governor  of  the  uni- 
verse, appoints  the  Son  to  the  office  of 


58  COVENANT    OF    GRACE; 

Mediator,  and,  on  certain  conditions, 
gives  to  him  a  chosen  people,  elected 
from  the  common  mass  of  fallen  man, 
"  according  to  his  own  good  purpose." 
The  Son  willingly  accepts  the  arduous 
office,  and  engages  to  comply  with  the 
proposed  conditions;  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
consents  to  perform  his  part  in  the  exe- 
cution and  consummation  of  the  glorious 
plan.  But,  contriving  and  planning  was 
not  all  that  was  requisite ;  the  Mediator, 
in  order  to  redeem  man  must  obey  and 
suffer  in  his  place ;  and  this  rendered  it 
necessary,  that  he  should  descend  to 
earth  and  be  born  of  a  woman,  and 
made  under  the  law.  And  this  stoop  of 
humiliation  was  not  enough;  the  Son  of 
God  must  suffer  and  die,  in  the  room  of 
the  creature  man.  And,  in  order  that 
he  might  exhaust  the  penalty  due  to 
man  for  sin,  the  Redeemer  must  not  only 
die,  but  his  death  must  be  of  the  most 
bitter  and  accursed  kind.  To  all  this 
he  consented  and  covenanted  on  behalf 


OR,    PLAN    OF    REDEMPTION.  59 

of  his  chosen,  to  meet  all  the  demands 
of  law  and  justice  against  them. 

If  any  should  ask,  what  evidence  we 
have  of  this  covenant  of  redemption,  we 
answer,  in  the  words  of  the  Mediator, 
"  I  appoint,"  or,  as  the  original  word  im- 
ports, "  I  give  by  covenant,  unto  you,  a 
kingdom,  as  the  Father  hath  appointed 
unto  me."  Luke  xxii.  29.  Again,  "  As 
thou  hast  given  him  power  over  all 
flesh,  that  he  should  give  eternal  life 
to  as  many  as  thou  hast  given  him." 
(John  xxii.  2.)  "  I  have  manifested  thy 
name  unto  the  men  which  thou  gavest 
me  out  of  ihe  world;  thine  they  were 
and  thou  gavest  them  me,"  (ver.  6.)  "  I 
pray  for  them  :  I  pray  not  for  the  world, 
but  for  them  which  thou  gavest  me," 
(ver.  9.)  "  Keep  through  thine  own  name 
those  whom  thou  hast  given  me."  And 
the  solemn  declaration  in  the  eighty-ninth 
Psalm,  "  I  have  made  a  covenant  with 
my  chosen,  I  have  sworn  unto  David  my 
servant,"  has  always,  by  the  church, been 


60  COVEXANT    OF    GRACE,* 

referred  to  the  Messiah,  to  the  spiritual 
David,  David's  Lord,  and  David's  Son. 

But  why  was  this  salvation  confined 
to  a  certain  favoured  number,  called  the 
elect  of  God?  This  doctrine  of  the 
sovereignty  of  divine  grace,  has,  from 
the  beginning,  been  offensive  to  human 
reason.  The  selection  of  men,  and  not 
of  angels,  as  the  object  of  redemption,  can 
be  borne  with  ;  but  that,  out  of  the  same 
mass,  some  should  be  taken,  confessedly 
no  better  than  others  by  nature  ;  and  that 
many  should  be  reprobated  or  left,  no 
worse  than  those  elected,  has  ever  been  a 
stumbling-block  to  multitudes  ;  and  hence, 
however  plainly  the  doctrine  be  revealed, 
they  will  not  receive  it ;  and  frequently 
manifest  great  hostility  to  all  who  main- 
tain and  preach  it,  as  did  the  Jews  when 
our  Lord  inculcated  it  by  reference  to  cer- 
tain facts  in  the  sacred  history.  But 
however  offensive  this  doctrine  is  to  hu- 
man reason,  since  it  is  clearly  revealed, 
and  often  expressed  in  the  word  of  God, 


OR,    PLAN    OF   REDEMPTION.  61 

we  are  not  at  liberty  to  relinquish  or  con- 
ceal it.  If  God  might  justly  have  left 
all  men  to  perish  in  their  sin,  certainly 
he  may  justly  leave  a  part  in  that  state 
of  ruin  into  which  they  have  fallen.  As 
all  men  are  by  nature  children  of  wrath, 
the  redemption  of  a  part  cannot  alter  or 
affect  the  condition  of  the  rest.  Because 
the  pardoning  power  in  the  State  releases 
certain  persons  from  the  penalty  of  the 
law,  this  does  not  render  it  unjust  to 
punish  others  who  are  under  a  sentence 
of  condemnation. 

The  justice  of  God  in  this  case  is 
easily  vindicated  ;  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to 
reconcile  this  proceeding  with  his  bene- 
volence. If  God  could  as  easily  have 
saved  all  as  a  part,  why  did  he  not  mani- 
fest his  goodness  in  doing  so  1  To  which 
it  may  be  answered  that  we  do  not  know 
the  reasons  of  the  divine  conduct  in  this 
matter.  He,  as  an  absolute  Sovereign, 
has  a  right  to  do  as  seemeth  good  with 
his  own.     He  constantly  refers  election 


62  COVENANT   OF    GRACE,* 

to  his  own  good  pleasure,  to  the  counsel 
of  his  own  will.  He  has  infinitely  good 
reasons ;  but  as  he  has  not  revealed 
them,  we  have  no  right  to  inquire  after 
them. 

The  manifestation  of  God's  gracious 
purpose,  in  the  covenant  of  grace,  began 
to  be  made  immediately  after  the  fall ; 
first,  in  the  sentence  pronounced  on  the 
serpent,  in  which  it  was  declared  that  the 
seed  of  the  woman  should  bruise  the  head 
of  the  serpent,  that  is,  of  the  old  serpent, 
which  is  the  devil.  And  next  by  the  in- 
stitution of  bloody  sacrifices,  and  accept- 
ing the  offerings  of  this  kind  made  in 
faith,  as  in  the  case  of  Abel ;  and  by 
various  communications  to  the  saints, 
until  the  time  of  Abraham,  with  whom 
God  entered  into  a  special  covenant,  and 
to  whom  he  made  many  gracious  pro- 
mises, and  granted  peculiar  privileges  to 
his  descendants,  and  separated  the  chosen 
race  from  all  the  world,  and  placed  the 
seal  of  his  covenant  in  their  flesh. 


OR,    PLAN    OF    REDEMPTION.  63 

But  when  the  seed  of  Jacob  had  grown 
to  be  a  great  nation  in  Egypt,  where 
they  were  held  in  abject  and  cruel  bon- 
dage, God  appeared  unto  Moses  at  mount 
Horeb  in  the  burning  bush,  and  commis- 
sioned him  to  deliver  his  people,  and  by 
a  series  of  wonderful  miracles,  to  con- 
duct them  to  Canaan,  which  land  four 
hundred  years  before  he  had  promised 
to  Abraham.  While  in  the  wilderness, 
at  the  foot  of  mount  Sinai,  God  appeared 
in  dreadful  majesty  to  all  the  people,  and 
uttered  his  holy  law  in  ten  command- 
ments in  the  midst  of  thunder  and  light- 
ning, and  the  sound  of  a  trumpet,  while 
the  whole  mountain  burned  with  fire. 

The  moral  law  was  binding  on  man 
by  nature,  but  it  had  become  so  much 
obliterated,  that  it  became  necessary  to 
republish  it,  that  the  people  having  the 
true  standard  of  duty  before  them,  might 
be  convinced  of  their  s'ns,  and  driven  to 
seek  refuge  in  the  atoning  blood,  so  co- 
piously shed  on  the  Jewish  altar. 


64  COVENAIST    OF    GRACE,* 

Besides  the  moral  law,  which  was  not 
only  proclaimed  by  the  voice  of  God,  but 
engraved  by  the  finger  of  God  on  two 
tables  of  stone,  he  gave  many  ritual 
laws  to  be  observed,  instituted  a  priest- 
hood, and  consecrated  the  family  of 
Aaron  to  this  service,  and  directed  Moses 
to  erect  a  tabernacle  for  worship,  exactly 
according  to  a  pattern  showed  him  on 
the  mount,  where  he  remained  in  the 
presence  of  God  forty  days,  without  eat- 
ing or  drinking,  at  two  different  times. 
All  these  institutions,  of  a  ceremonial 
kind,  were  intended  to  be  a  shadow  of 
good  things  to  come. 

This  dispensation,  administered  by 
sacrifices,  by  types,  and  prophecies,  con- 
tinued, without  essential  change,  until  it 
was  superseded  by  the  more  glorious  dis- 
pensation of  the  gospel,  introduced  after 
the  advent  of  the  Messiah ;  who  being 
the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  and 
having  answered  all  the  types  and  fulfilled 
all  the  prophecies,  brought  that  dispensa- 


OR,    PLAN    OF    REDEMPTION.  65 

tion  to  an  end.  And  the  New  Testament 
dispensation,  with  clearer  light,  greater 
liberty,  more  of  the  spirit  of  adoption,  and 
a  spiritual  worship  not  confined  to  any- 
particular  place,  nor  burdened  with  ex- 
ternal forms  and  rites.  This  dispensa- 
tion, it  is  believed,  will  continue  until  the 
second  advent  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ. 


66 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

INCARNATION. 

Christ  did  not  come  into  the  world  un- 
til about  four  thousand  years  from  the 
creation  had  elapsed.  By  this  delay  it 
clearly  appeared  how  deep  was  the  de- 
pravity of  fallen  man,  as  all  nations,  the 
Israelites  only  excepted,  departed  from 
God,  and  lost  the  knowledge  of  his  true 
character.  And  having  apostatized  from 
the  worship  and  service  of  their  Creator, 
they  universally,  with  the  exception  al- 
ready mentioned,  addicted  themselves  to 
the  most  abominable  idolatries,  and  to 
every  species  of  degrading  vice. 

This  apostasy  was  not  owing  to  any 


INCARNATION.  67 

defect  of  external  light,  for,  as  Paul  teach- 
es,  "  that  which  may  be  known  of  God 
is  manifest  in  them,  for  God  hath  show- 
ed it  unto  them.     For  the  invisible  things 
of  him,  from  the  creation  of  the  world, 
are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the 
things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal 
godhead,  so  that  they  are  without  excuse. 
Because  when  they  knew  God  they  glori- 
fied him  not  as  God,  neither  were  they 
thankful ;  but  they  became  vain  in  their 
imaginations,  and  their  foolish  heart  was 
darkened.     Professing  themselves  to  be 
wise,  they  became  fools,  and   changed 
the  glory  of  the  uncorruptible  God  into 
an  image  made  like  to  corruptible  man, 
and  to  birds,  and  four  footed  beasts,  and 
creeping  things."     It  was  proper  that  the 
world  should    have    the   opportunity  of 
making  trial  of  their  own  wisdom  before 
the  device  of  infinite  wisdom  should  be 
manifested.     Opportunity  had  also  been 
thus  afforded  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  ad- 
vent of  the  Mediator,  by  a  system  of  types 


68  INCARNATION. 

and  prophecies,  which  clearly  designated 
his  person  and  offices,  and  thus  furnish- 
ed indubitable  evidence  of  his  being  in- 
deed the  Christ  of  God.  The  time  se- 
lected for  the  advent  of  the  Saviour  was 
also  suitable,  because  the  world  was  then 
full  of  inhabitants  ;  the  human  mind  had 
been  highly  cultivated,  and  the  intellec- 
tual faculties  had  attained  their  utmost 
vigour,  and  all  the  civilized  world  were 
subject  to  one  government ;  and  the 
Latin  and  Greek  lano;uao;es  were  un- 
derstood  through  the  whole  extent  of  the 
Roman  empire.  And  although  in  the 
previous  age  civil  discord  and  desolating 
wars  disturbed  the  empire,  all  was  now 
reduced  to  peace  under  Augustus  Ctesar, 
so  that  a  favourable  opportunity  was  af- 
forded for  propagating  the  gospel  among 
the  nations.  Besides,  the  time  of  Mes- 
siah's advent  had  been  fixed  in  the  dis- 
tinct enunciations  of  prophecy.  Shiloh 
was  to  come  before  the  sceptre  had  en- 
tirely departed  from  Judah,  which  was 


INCARNATION.  69 

now  far  on  the  wane.  He  was  to  till  the 
temple  of  Zerubbabel  with  his  glory, 
which  was  soon  after  this  destroyed. 
And  the  specified  weeks  of  Daniel,  when 
the  Messiah  should  be  cut  off,  were 
drawing  to  a  close.  The  "fulness  of 
time"  was  therefore  come,  when  "  God 
sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman, 
made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them 
that  were  under  the  law." 

It  had  been  predicted  by  Isaiah,  that 
"  a  virgin  should  conceive  and  bring 
forth  a  Son,  and  that  his  name  should  be 
Emmanuel,  God  with  us.  It  was  also 
foretold  by  the  same  prophet,  that  a 
child  should  be  born,  who  should  be  the 
Mighty  God.  There  was,  therefore,  a 
general  expectation  among  the  Jews, 
that  the  advent  of  the  Messiah  was  at 
hand;  and  this  expectation  was  increas- 
ed, when  John  the  Baptist  began  to 
preach  in  the  wilderness,  saying,  "  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand  ;"  thus  ful- 
filling   the  prophecy  of  Isaiah;   "The 


70  INCARNATION. 

voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilderness, 
prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make 
his  paths  straight;"  (Isaiah  xi.  5;)  and 
also  the  prediction  of  JVIalachi,  "  Behold, 
I  will  send  my  Messenger,  and  he  will 
prepare  my  way  before  me."  And 
again,  "  Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah, 
the  prophet,  before  the  coming  of  the 
great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord." 
(Mai.  iii.  1;  iv.  5.) 

The  place  of  the  Messiah's  birth  had 
been  explicitly  named  by  the  prophet 
Micah  ;  so  that  when  the  wise  men  from 
the  east  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  inquired 
where  he  was  to  be  born,  who  was  King 
of  the  Jews,  Herod,  the  king,  called  to- 
gether a  convention  of  all  the  priests  and 
scribes,  to  determine  this  question,  which 
they  appear  to  have  agreed  upon  unani- 
mously, for  they  immediately  answered, 
"  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea,"  and  referred 
to  the  prophecy  of  Micah.  The  provi- 
dence of  God  in  bringing  about  the  ful- 
filment of  this  prophecy  was  remarkable, 


INCA.RNATION.  71 

for  Mary  and  her  husband  resided  at 
Nazareth.  But  it  had  been  so  ordered 
by  an  imperial  edict,  that  every  person 
should  resort  to  the  town  to  which 
his  family  properly  belonged,  to  be  re- 
gistered, with  a  view  to  a  general  taxa- 
tion ;  and  thus  the  mother  of  our  Lord 
was  brought  to  Bethlehem  at  the  very 
time  when  she  was  to  be  delivered  of  the 
child,  conceived  in  her  womb  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  as  there 
was  not  found  room  for  them  in  the  inn, 
the  Son  of  God  was  born  in  a  stable,  and 
laid  in  a  manger. 

This  glorious  event  for  our  lost  world, 
was  not  suffered  to  take  place  without 
suitable  notice:  for  however  inattentive 
the  great  men  of  this  world  might  be  to 
this  humble,  but  miraculous  birth,  the 
angels  of  God  had  their  attention  direct- 
ed to  it  as  the  most  important  event 
which  had  ever  occurred  in  our  world. 
One  of  the  heavenly  host,  probably  Ga- 
briel, appeared  to  a  company  of  shep- 


72  INCARNATION. 

herds  in  the  vicinity,  who  were  watch- 
ing their  flocks  by  night,  and  said,  "  Be- 
hold, I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great 
joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people,  for 
unto  you  is  born,  this  day,  in  the  city  of 
David,  a  Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the 
Lord."  And  as  soon  as  he  had  deliver- 
ed his  message,  "a  multitude  of  ihe 
heavenly  host  was  with  the  angel,  prais- 
ing God,  and  saying,  Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  and  good 
will  to  men." 

Until  Christ  was  about  thirty  years  of 
age,  he  lived  in  retirement  at  Nazareth. 
When  John,  his  forerunner,  had  been  for 
some  time  engaged  in  his  public  minis- 
try preaching  repentance  and  baptizing 
the  people,  Jesus  came  forth,  and  was 
baptized  in  the  river  Jordan.  Having 
voluntarily  placed  himi^elf  under  the  law, 
it  was  proper  that  he  should  comply  with 
not  only  the  moral  precepts,  but  with 
all  the  ceremonial  institutions  then  in 
force.     For  although  he  could  not  attend 


INCARNATION.  73 

on  these  institutions  as  one  who  needed 
forgiveness,  or  purification,  or  repent- 
ance, yet  as  he  came  to  take  the  sinner's 
place,  he  obeyed  all  the  laws  then  obli- 
gatory on  the  people ;  for  in  infancy,  he 
was  circumcised,  when  grown  up,  he  at- 
tended the  Jewish  worship  at  the  temple, 
partook  of  the  passover,  joined  in  the 
worship  of  the  synagogue,  and,  as  John 
was  commissioned  of  God  to  preach  and 
baptize,  he  submitted  to  his  baptism, 
though  John  at  first  forbade  him  ;  and  the 
reason  which  he  assigned  was,  "  For 
thus  it  becometh  us  lo  fulfil  all  righteous- 
ness." By  the  incarnation  the  divine 
and  human  natures  were  mysteriously 
united.  "The  word  was  made  flesh, 
and  dwelt  among  us."  "  God  was  mani- 
fest in  the  flesh."  "  He  that  was  in  the 
form  of  God,  and  thought  it  not  robbery 
to  be  equal  with  God,  made  himself  of 
no  reputation,  but  took  on  him  the  form 
of  a  servant,  and  being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  be- 
came obedient  unto  death." 


74 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  EXPIATORY  SUFFERINGS  OF  CHRIST  ,* 
OR,    THE    ATONEMENT. 

An  atonement  is  that  which  expiates  sin  ; 
which  reconciles  an  offended  party ;  w  hich 
makes  satisfaction  for  offences  committed. 
The  reason  why  an  atonement  was 
necessary,  was  the  inflexible  nature  of 
divine  justice.  This  attribule  leads  the 
Ruler  of  the  universe  to  render  to  every 
one  his  due  ;  to  treat  every  one  according 
to  his  character.  The  justice  of  God  was 
manifested  in  giving  to  man  a  righteous 
law,  and  annexing  a  penalty  exactly  pro- 
portioned to  the  demerit  of  every  trans- 
gression. Such  a  penalty  being  annexed 
to  the  law,  it  is  evident  that  to  execute  it  is 


ATONEMENT.  75 

a  righteous  thing  ;  and  when  this  penalty 
is  incurred  by  transgression,  the  Judge  of 
all  the  earth,  acting  justly,  must  inflict  it. 
He  cannot  deny  himself.  "  He  is  not  a 
man  that  he  should  lie,  or  the  son  of  man 
that  he  should  repent."  If  the  penalty  of 
the  law  might  be  set  aside  in  one  instance, 
it  might  in  all,  and  then  government  would 
be  at  an  end.  Indeed,  no  reason  can  be 
assigned  for  a  difference ;  if  one  sinner 
is  exempted  from  punishment,  the  same 
treatment  should  be  extended  to  all;  for, 
in  the  administration  of  law  and  justice, 
there  should  be  uniformity ;  though  that 
principle  does  not  apply  to  the  dispensa- 
tion of  grace. 

How  then  can  any  sinner  be  saved  ? 
This  is  a  problem,  which  we  are  persuaded 
no  finite  intelligence  could  have  solved. 
But,  what  created  wisdom  could  not  dis- 
cern, the  wisdom  of  the  Triune  God 
was  able  to  accomplish.  The  principle 
of  an  adequate  atonement  by  a  qualified 
Surety  was  the  one  adopted.     But  who  is 


76  ATONEMENT. 

sufficient  to  make  the  requisite  satisfac- 
tion to  law  and  justice ;  for,  upon  the 
principles  already  stated,  such  a  satis- 
faction was  necessary.  No  mere  crea- 
ture could  be  the  substitute ;  for,  beside 
that  such  an  one  would  owe  obedience  for 
himself  to  the  full  extent  of  liis  powers, 
the  actions  and  sufferings  of  a  mere 
creature  could  not  possess  that  merit 
which  could  be  accepted,  to  answer  the 
demands  of  the  law  against  millions. 
Neither  could  any  person  of  the  God- 
head perform  the  work  of  redemption. 
The  Deity  can  neither  suffer  nor  obey. 
This  mighty  difficulty  can  only  be  over- 
come by  the  constitution  of  a  person,  in 
whom  both  natures  shall  bcunited;  that  is, 
by  the  second  person  in  the  glorious  Trin- 
ity assuming  human  nature  into  such  inti- 
mate union  with  himself,  that  the  actions 
and  sufferings  of  this  nature  shall  be  con- 
sidered the  actions  and  sufferings  of  the 
person  of  the  Son  of  God.  That  such  a 
substitution  was  admissible  depended  on 
the  wisdom  and  will  of  God.  Amona;  men 


ATONEMENT.  77 

there  would  exist  strong  reasons  against 
permitting  the  innocent  to  die  for  the 
guilty ;  but  when  we  inquire  what  these 
reasons  are,  we  find  that  not  one  of  them 
applies  to  the  redemption  of  Christ.  He 
has  a  complete  right  to  dispose  of  him- 
self, and  the  power  to  qualify  himself  for 
the  arduous  work  ;  and  by  admitting  the 
substitution  of  Christ  in  the  room  of  his 
chosen  people,  no  injury  is  sustained  in 
any  quarter;  for,  though  the  Redeemer 
must  endure  an  inconceivable  weight  of 
sorrow  for  a  season,  for  this  he  will 
reap  a  glorious  and  endless  reward.  And, 
though  the  guilty  escape,  yet  the  plan 
provides  for  their  complete  reformation; 
and  the  mercy  of  God  is  illustriously 
displayed,  and  placed  in  a  li,o;ht  in  which 
it  never  could  have  been,  if  this  plan  had 
not  been  revealed. 

And  not  only  is  mercy  and  condescen- 
sion exhibited  in  a  bright  and  peculiar 
light,  which  gives  to  all  the  intelligent 
creation  new  discoveries  of  the  divine 


78  ATONEMENT. 

character ;  but  justice,  which  would  have 
appeared  glorious  in  the  punishment  of 
the  guilty,  in  exact  proportion  to  their 
demerit,  yet  shines  forth  with  a  far  bright- 
er lustre  in  the  sufferings  of  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  God,  than  in  the  condign 
punishment  of  a  world  of  guilty  sinners. 
Here,  then,  we  see  what  the  nature  of  an 
atonement  must  be.  It  must  remove 
those  obstacles  which  stood  in  the  way 
of  the  sinner's  salvation.  These  arose 
from  the  law  and  justice  of  God,  which 
demanded  the  life  of  the  transgressor. 
The  Redeemer,  therefore,  must  make  a 
full  satisfaction  to  law  and  justice,  or  the 
sinner  cannot  be  saved.  He  must  render 
a  meritorious  obedience  to  ihe  law  which 
men  had  broken,  and  receive  the  pun- 
ishment of  their  sins  in  his  own  person. 
The  sufferings  of  Christ  were,  therefore, 
of  a  strictly  vicarious  nature.  *'  He 
bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body,  on  the 
tree."  "  He  died,  the  just  for  the  unjust, 
to  bring  us  to  God."  "  He  was  wounded 


ATONEMENT.  79 

for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities."  "  Our  iniquities  were 
laid  upon  him."  No  doubt  he  set  us  a 
glorious  example  of  perfect  patience  and 
fortitude,  in  enduring  so  much  pain  and 
ignominy ;  but  example  was  not  the  main 
end  of  these  sufferings,  which  would 
place  them  on  the  same  level  with  those 
of  other  martyrs.  And,  it  is  not  dispu- 
ted, that  the  death  of  Christ  is  calculated 
to  produce  a  moral  impression  on  all  in- 
telligent minds,  but  even  this  was  not  the 
direct  end  of  Christ's  sufferings,  accord- 
ing to  the  Scriptures;  but  he  died  as  an 
expiatory  victim,  a  sacrifice  to  satisfy 
divine  justice,  an  atonement  for  all  the 
sins  of  his  chosen,  as  a  ransom  to  re- 
deem them  for  their  bondage;  yea,  as  a 
curse,  to  redeem  them  that  were  under 
the  curse.  And  this  view  of  the  atone- 
ment is  vital  to  the  Christian  system. 
It  is  plainly  the  doctrine  of  the  Old  as 
well  as  the  New  Testament;  and  it  ever 
has  been  the  doctrine  of  every  sound 


80  ATONEMENT. 

part  of  the  Christian  church;  and  it 
would  be  easy  to  show  that  the  objections 
to  it  are  either  frivolous,  or  they  are  such 
as  subvert  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and 
bring  in  another  gospel,  which  exposes 
the  abettors  of  it  to  the  anathema  of 
Paul. 

As  to  the  sufferings  endured  by  Christ 
which  are  expiatory,  we  could  say  that 
all  that  he  endured  in  our  nature,  and  in- 
deed his  whole  state  of  humiliation,  should 
be  considered  as  belonging  to  his  expia- 
tion; when  he  first  felt  the  pangs  inci- 
dent to  infancy,  when  he  went  about 
from  day  to  day,  "  a  man  of  sorrows, 
and  acquainted  with  grief," — when  re- 
proached, slandered,  and  reviled — when 
hungry,  thirsty,  and  weary — when  fill- 
ed with  grief  at  the  hardness  and  per- 
verseness  of  the  people,  which  drew  tears 
from  his  eyes — when  bathed  in  his  own 
blood  in  Gethsemane — when  betrayed, 
bound,  dragged   to   trial — when  falsely 


ATONEMENT.  81 

accused,  and  condemned — when  mock- 
ed and  reviled — when  scourged — when 
crowned  with  thorns — when  fainting 
under  the  cross — when  nailed  to  the 
tree — when  exposed  to  the  profane  gaze 
of  the  multitude,  denuded  of  his  garments 
—  when  exhausted  with  pain  and  thirst — 
and  above  all,  when  forsaken  of  God — 
and  when  he  breathed  out  his  soul.  And 
after  he  was  taken  from  the  cross  and 
laid  in  the  sepulchre,  though  he  suffered 
no  positive  pain,  yet  he  was  bearing  the 
curse  or  penalty  of  the  law,  which  was 
death.  And  if  it  be  asked  for  whom  did 
the  Redeemer  bear  all  this,  the  answer 
he  has  given,  "  I  lay  down  my  life  for 
the  sheep."  He  loved  his  church  and 
gave  himself  for  it.  But  his  atonement, 
considered  in  its  intrinsic  value  and  suit- 
ableness, is  infinite  and  sufficient,  if  ap- 
plied, to  save  the  whole  world. 

The  sufferings  of  Christ  being  those  of 
a  divine  person,  have  an  infinite  value  ; 
6 


82  ATONEMENT. 

it  follows,  therefoiv,  that  although  the 
punishment  of  the  sinner  was  everlasting, 
yet  Christ  could  exhaust  the  penalty  of 
the  law  in  a  limited  time ;  that  is,  his 
sufferings  and  death,  though  limited  to  a 
short  period,  were  more  than  an  equiva- 
lent for  the  eternal  sufferings  of  those 
for  whom  he  laid  down  his  life.  And  in 
making  this  vicarious  atonement,  it  was 
not  at  all  necessary  that  the  Mediator 
should  be  the  subject  of  remorse  and  des- 
pair ;  for  these  are  not  essential  to  the 
penalty  of  the  law,  but  merely  incidental, 
arising  from  the  circumstances  and  moral 
character  of  the  sufferer.  But  it  was 
necessary  that  our  substitute  should  suf- 
fer a  painful  and  accursed  death,  for  this 
was  specifically  threatened.  Some  have 
supposed  that  Christ  endured  something 
of  the  torments  of  the  damned  after  his 
death,  as  the  creed  says,  "  he  went  into 
hell,"  but  the  word  hell  here  signifies  no 
more  than  the  place  of  departed   spirits. 


ATONEMENT.  83 

Christ's  sufferings  were  finished  on  the 
cross ;  and  on  that  very  day  his  Spirit 
entered  into  paradise.  It  cannot  be  rea- 
sonably doubted  that  all  those  for  whom 
Christ  offered  himself  a  sacrifice,  will 
eventually  be  saved. 


84 


CHAPTER  X. 

EESURRECTION    AND    ASCENSION    OF 
CHRIST. 

The  blessed  Redeemer,  having  been  three 
days  in  the  grave,  according  to  his  own 
oft  repealed  prediction;  thai  is,  a  part  of 
three  days,  which,  according  to  the  usual 
method  of  computing  time,  was  reckoned 
for  three  days,  rose  from  the  dead, 
and  during  forty  days,  which  he  remained 
upon  earth,  he  appeared  a  number  of 
times  to  his  disciples,  and  gave  them  not 
only  ocular  but  palpable  evidence  of  the 
reality  of  his  resurrection.  And  that 
there  might  remain  no  doubt  of  his  iden- 
tity, he  showed  them  his  hands  and  his 
feet,  and  even  condescended  to  permit 


RESURRECTION,    ETC.  85 

them  to  put  their  fingers  into  the  print  of 
the  nails,  and  to  thrust  their  hands  into 
the  opening  made  in  his  side  by  the  sol- 
dier's spear,  after  his  death.  And,  on 
one  occasion,  he  appeared  to  above  five 
hundred  of  his  disciples  convened  in 
GaUlee,  on  a  m^ountain  where  he  had  pro- 
mised to  meet  them,  before  his  crucifix- 
ion. As  the  disciples  had  not  understood 
his  predictions  respecting  his  death  and 
resurrection,  they  were  very  slow  to  be- 
lieve even  their  own  senses.  On  this  ac- 
count the  risen  Saviour  took  pains  to  re- 
move every  shadow  of  doubt,  and  in 
several  instances  ate  and  drank  in  their 
presence,  just  as  before  his  deaih.  This 
time  was  also  improved  to  give  the  Apos- 
tles all  needful  instructions,  respecting 
their  ministry,  after  he  should  leave 
them. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  forty  days,  he 
led  his  disciples  out  to  mount  Olivet, 
near  to  Bethany,  where  he  blessed  them, 
and  was  parted  from  them,  and  carried 


86  RESURRECTION    AND 

up  to  heaven,  in  the  midst  of  thousands 
of  angels,  according  to  what  the  Holy- 
Ghost  says  in  the  sixty-eighth  Psalm, 
"  The  chariots  of  God  are  twenty  thou- 
sand, even  thousands  of  angels.  The 
Lord  is  among  them,  as  in  Sinai,  in  the 
holy  place.  Thou  hast  ascended  on 
high,  thou  hast  led  captivity  captive. 
Thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men,  yea,  for 
the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord  God 
might  dwell  among  them ;"  which  pas- 
sage Paul  expressly  applies  to  Christ. 
(Ephes.  iv.  8,  9.) 

Until  the  time  of  his  ascension,  as  far 
as  appears,  Christ's  body  remained  the 
same  as  before  his  death;  but  as  a  gross 
body  of  flesh  and  blood,  though  free  from 
every  stain,  is  not  suited  to  the  heavenly 
state,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  that 
Christ's  body  now  underwent  such  a  sud- 
den change,  as  we  are  informed  will  pass 
on  the  bodies  of  the  saints  who  shall  be 
found  alive  upon  earth,  when  Christ  shall 
make  his    second    appearance.     Before 


ASCENSION    OF    CHRIST.  87 

his  ascension  he  had  flesh  and  bones, 
which  could  be  handled  and  felt ;  but 
now  he  assumed  that  glorious  body  in 
which  he  now  appears  in  heaven,  and  in 
which  every  eye  shall  behold  him,  when 
he  shall  appear  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
with  all  his  holy  angels,  to  judge  the 
world. 

That  Christ  appeared,  after  his  resur- 
rection, in  the  same  body  which  was 
nailed  to  the  cross,  and  laid  in  the  sepul- 
chre, is  as  evident  from  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, as  words  can  make  it.  Luke 
gives  the  following  explicit  testimony: 
"  Jesus  himself  stood  in  the  midst  of  them 
and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be  unto  you. 
But  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted, 
and  supposed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit. 
And  he  said  unto  them.  Why  are  ye  trou- 
bled? and  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your 
hearts?  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet, 
that  it  is  I  myself.  Handle  me  and  see ; 
for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as 
ye  see    me  have.     And    when  he   had 


83  RESURRECTION,    ETC. 

thus  spoken,  he  showed  them  his  hands 
and  his  feet."  And  though  the  fact  is 
not  mentioned,  we  may  certainly  infer, 
that  Christ's  body  underwent  a  change 
before  he  entered  heaven;  for  we  are  as- 
sured that  "flesh  and  blood  do  not  in- 
herit the  kingdom  of  heaven ;"  and  as 
this  is  true  in  regard  to  believers,  it  is 
equally  so  respecting  Christ.  Still  it  is 
the  sell  same  body  which  is  now  in  hea- 
ven at  the  right  hand  of  God,  which  suf- 
fered on  the  cross — but  ,  lor^tied. 


89 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MEDIATORIAL    OFFICES    OF    CHRIST. 

The  offices  of  Christ  have  long  been 
divided  into  three ;  the  prophetical,  sa- 
cerdotal, and  regal;  and  this  is  not  an 
arbitrary  distinction,  but  is  founded  in 
the  wants  of  men;  for  he  who  under- 
takes to  save  sinners  must  be  qualified  to 
deliver  them  from  their  ignorance,  from 
their  guilt,  and  from  their  depravity;  and 
he  must  have  power  to  protect  them  from 
ail  their  enemies,  and  raise  them  from 
death  and  the  grave,  and  bring  them  to 
the  possession  of  eternal  life.  When 
Christ  was  upon  earth,  most  of  his  time, 
during  his  public  ministry,  was  spent  in 
teaching.  And  in  the  exercise  of  this 
ofEce,  *'He  taught  with  authority,  and 


90  OFFICES    OF    CHRIST. 

not  as  the  scribes."  Even  in  the  judg- 
ment of  his  enemies,  "  never  man  spake 
like  this  man."  But,  when  about  to  leave 
the  world,  he  promised  to  his  disciples 
another  teacher,  who  would  remain  with 
them,  and  lead  them  into  all  truth,  and 
who  should  bring  to  their  remembrance 
whatever  he  had  said  to  them.  Thus, 
he  now  exercises  the  office  of  a  prophet, 
by  his  word  and  Spirit,  by  which  agency 
all  the  children  of  God  are  taught  of  him  ; 
and  through  faith  in  the  holy  Scriptures, 
are  made  wise  unto  salvation.  By  the 
law  they  obtain  the  knowledge  of  sin ; 
by  the  gospel  they  are  made  acquainted 
with  the  only  remedy  ;  and  by  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  enabled  "  to 
grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  As  Moses  pro- 
phesied, that  the  Lord  should  raise  up  a 
prophet  like  unto  him  ;  that  is  one  who 
should  be  the  author  of  a  new  dispensa- 
tion ;  so,  the  same  glorious  person  is 
predicted  in  the  Psalnas,  as  "  a  priest, 


OFFICES    OF    CHRIST.  91 

not  after  the  order  of  Aaron,  but  after  the 
order  of  Melchizedek  ;  a  priest  who  should 
have  no  predecessor  nor  successor,  but 
should  possess  in  himself  an  everlasting- 
priesthood  ;  and,  who  by  the  sacrifice  of 
himself,  should  be  able  to  accomplish 
what  the  Levitical  priests  never  could. 
What  they  performed  and  exhibited  in 
shadows,  he  executed  in  substance.  As 
their  sacrifices  and  oblations  were  to  re- 
move ceremonial  guilt  and  uncleanness, 
he,  by  the  one  offering  of  himself,  obtain- 
ed eternal  redemption  for  us.  And  as  the 
high  priest,  on  the  great  day  of  atone- 
ment, after  slaying  the  sin-offering,  both 
for  himself  and  the  people,  carried  the 
blood  into  the  most  holy  place,  and 
sprinkled  it  on  the  mercy  seat ;  so  Christ, 
the  High  Priest  of  our  profession,  having 
offered  himself  as  a  sacrifice  on  the  cross, 
has  entered  into  the  most  holy  place,  not 
made  with  hands,  where  he  appears  be- 
fore God,  to  present,  as  it  were,  the 
"  blood  which  clean^eth   from  all  sin." 


92  OFFICES    OF    CHRIST. 

*'  For  Christ  is  not  entered  into  the  holy 
places,  made  with  hands,  which  are  the 
figures  of  the  true  ;  but  into  heaven  itself, 
now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for 
us,"  "  For  by  one  offering  he  hath  per- 
fected for  ever  them  that  are  sanctified," 
(Heb.  ix.  24;  x.  14.)  Two  things  belong 
to  the  office  of  priesthood,  first,  oblation, 
or  the  offering  a  sacrifice;  secondly,  tlie 
sprinkling  the  blood,  or  the  presentment 
of  the  oblation  before  God.  This,  in 
Scripture,  is  called  intercession  ;  because, 
on  the  ground  of  having  complied  with 
the  stipulated  conditions  in  the  covenant 
of  redemption,  the  Mediator  has  a  right 
to  claim  the  deliverance  of  those  for 
whom  he  undertook.  This,  therefore,  is 
a  very  necessary  part  of  the  mediatorial 
work.  It  is  the  moving  cause  of  all  that 
is  done  in  the  application  of  the  purchased 
redemption.  Therefore  it  is  written,  "  that 
he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that 
come  to  God  by  him ;  seeing  he  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them.  And 


OFFICES    OF    CHRIST.  93 

here  we  see  the  reason  why  the  true  be- 
liever never  comes  again  into  condemna- 
tion, notwithstanding  all  his  sins  and  in- 
firmities ;  because  he  has  an  Advocate 
with  the  Father,  who  is  the  propitiation 
f()r  his  sins.  As  fast  as  he  contracts  guilt 
his  sins  are  blotted  out ;  or,  rather,  as 
he  has  the  righteousness  of  Christ  set 
down  to  his  account,  he  cannot  come  into 
condemnation.  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who 
can  be  against  us  ?"  "  It  is  God  that  jus- 
tifie'h,  who  is  he  that  condemneth  ?  Who 
shall  lay  any  thin^  to  the  charge  of  God's 
elect?  Shall  Christ,  that  died,  or  rather 
is  risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right 
hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  interces- 
sion for  us?" 

The  Christian  then,  in  all  his  trials, 
under  all  his  burdens,  when  tempted  to 
despond  or  despair,  should  have  recourse 
to  the  cros.5,  and  should  look  for  comfort 
to  the  prevalent  intercessions  of  his  great 
High  Priest  ? 

In  the  second  Psalm  it  is  written,  "  I 


94  OFFICES    OF    CHEIST. 

will  set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of 
Zion."  And  Jesus  Christ  was  born  a 
king.  He  was  lineally  descended  from 
David,  to  whose  family  the  regal  author- 
ity was  promised  for  ever.  When  Pilate 
interrogated  him.  whether  he  was  a  king, 
he  did  not  deny  it,  but  admitted  and  as- 
serted it,  saying,  "Thou  sayest  that  I 
am  a  king.  For  this  end  was  I  born, 
and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world, 
that  I  should  bear  witness  to  the  truth." 
After  his  resurrection,  he  declared  to  his 
disciples,  "  all  power  in  heaven,  and  in 
earth,  is  given  unto  me."  And  we  read, 
"  that  angels  and  principalities  are  subject 
to  him."  He  is  made  "  head  over  all 
things  for  his  church,  which  is  his  body." 
He  is  therefore  called  "  the  Kin^r  of  kincrs 
and  Lord  of  lords."  "  For  he  m^ust  reign 
until  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his 
feet."  In  the  exercise  of  his  regal  office, 
he  governs  all  providential  events  and 
revolutions,  so  as  to  promote  the  ultimate 
glory  and  triumph  of  his  kingdom.     He 


OFFICES    OF    CHRIST.  95 

holds  under  restraint  all  those  enemies, 
who  would  otherwise  destroy  his  sheep. 
Over  these  he  watches  with  a  shepherd's 
care.  In  the  exercise  of  his  regal  office 
he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness. 
"  We  must  all  stand  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ."  "  When  the  Son  of  man 
shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy 
angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  on  the 
throne  of  his  glory.  Then  shall  the  King 
say  to  those  on  his  right  hand,  Come  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  king- 
dom prepared  for  you  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world." 


96 


CHAPTER    XII. 

JUSTIFICATION. 

Correct  ideas  on  the  subject  of  a  sinner's 
justification  are  exceedingly  important; 
because  this  is  a  cardinal  point  in  the 
Christian  system.  A  mistake  here  will 
be  apt  to  extend  its  pernicious  influence 
to  every  other  important  doctrine.  And 
there  is  in  human  nature  a  strong  tend- 
ency to  build  on  a  false  foundation;  be- 
cause man,  when  created,  was  placed 
under  a  covenant  of  works ;  and,  by 
nature,  he  knows  no  other  way,  than 
"  do  and  live."  And  human  reason  and 
the  dictates  of  conscience,  urge  men  to 
seek  the  favour  of  God  by  obeying  his 
will.  If  we  were  able  to  render  to 
the  law  such  an  obedience  as  would  se- 


JUSTIFICATION.  97 

cure  justification,  this  would  stiil  be  the 
right  way,  and  no  other  need  be  sought. 
"If  there  had  been  a  law,"  says  Paul, 
*'  which  could  have  given  life,  verily 
righteousness  (or  justification)  should 
have  been  by  the  law."  "  But  what  the 
law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak 
through  the  flesh,  God  sending  his  own 
Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinfiil  flesh,  and 
for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh,  that 
the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be 
fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the 
flesh,  but  after  the  spirit." 

In  most  cases  we  should  think  it  un- 
necessary and  inexpedient  to  contend 
about  the  meaning  of  a  word,  when  they 
who  used  it  explained  the  sense  in  which 
they  take  it ;  but,  here  it  is  exceedingly 
important,  to  ascertain  the  scriptural 
meaning  of  this  word ;  for  this  is  the 
point  from  which  men's  opinions  are 
most  apt  to  diverge  from  those  of  divine 
revelation.  And  if  we  put  a  wrong  sense 
on  the  word  "justification,"  it  will  be 
7 


98  JUSTIFICATION. 

sure  to  favour  the  dangerous  doctrine  of 
human  merit. 

We  would,  therefore,  lay  it  down  as  a 
truth,  capable  of  the  clearest  prOof,  that 
justification,  as  used  in  Scripture,  does 
not  mean  any  change  wrought  within  us, 
but  a  change  of  our  relation  or  standing 
under  the  law.  As  condemnation  does 
not  signify  the  making  a  man  wicked, 
but  declaring  him  guilty ;  so  justification, 
which  is  the  very  opposite  of^  condemna- 
tion, does  not  mean  the  infusion  of  holi- 
ness or  justice  into  the  hearts  of  men; 
but,  it  is  the  sentence  of  a  judge,  declar- 
ing that  the  person  to  whom  it  appertains 
is  acquitted  from  every  charge,  and  stands 
right  in  the  view  of  the  law.  It  is  then 
the  act  of  the  Judge  of  the  universe,  by 
which  it  is  declared,  that  all  condemna- 
tion is  removed,  and  that  the  sinful  man 
is  accepted  as  righteous  in  the  eye  of  the 
law.  It  is  evident,  that  there  can  be  no 
justification  by  any  law,  unless  the  per- 
son accused  can   plead  a  perfect  right- 


JUSTIFICATION.  99 

eousness;  for  if  he  has  sinned  but  once, 
that  one  sin  will  prevent  his  justification 
as  certainly  as  a  thousand.  After  Adam 
had  committed  the  first  sin,  it  was  im- 
possible he  should  ever  be  justified  by 
his  own  works.  And  thus  the  word  is 
used  in  regard  to  human  laws.  If  a  man 
is  arraigned  before  any  just  tribunal,  and 
it  is  proved  that  he  has  committed  one 
felonious  act,  the  judge  cannot  justify 
him.  And  hence,  it  appears  evident  to 
reason,  and  the  same  thing  is  repeatedly 
and  emphatically  taught  in  Scripture, 
"  that  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  no  man 
can  be  justified  in  the  sight  of  God." 
And  the  reason  simply  is,  that  no  man's 
obedience  to  the  law  is  perfect.  The 
idea  entertained  by  some,  that  a  sinner's 
imperfect  obedience  may  be  the  ground 
of  justification,  is,  therefore,  evidently 
absurd.  And  the  opinion,  that  the  moral 
law  is  changed,  and  so  relaxed  as  to  be 
level  to  the  capacity  of  sinful  creatures, 
is  false,  and  unscriptural,  and  tends  to 


100  JUSTIFICATION. 

introduce  another  gospel,  entirely  sub- 
versive of  the  true  system  of  salvation. 
Man's  sincere  obedience,  though  imper- 
fect, may  be  an  evidence  that  he  is  in 
a  justified  state,  but  never  can  be  the 
ground  of  the  sentence  of  the  Judge. 

The  question  then  returns,  "How  can 
any  man  be  just  with  God,  since  all  have 
sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God?"  To  which  we  answer,  "  That  a 
man  under  the  gospel  is  justified  by  faith, - 
without  the  deeds  of  the  law ;  that  is,  he 
is  justified  by  the  perfect  righteousness 
of  Christ  received  by  faith.  This  right- 
eousness is  imputed  to  the  believing 
sinner;  that  is,  God  treats  him  as  if  he 
himself  had  wrought  it  out. 

God,  the  Judge,  views  the  sinner,  con- 
sidered  in  his  own  character,  as  he  is, 
chargeable  with  innumerable  transgres- 
sions of  his  holy  law:  but,  when  this 
ungodly  man  truly  believes  and  becomes 
united  to  Christ,  he  imputes  to  him  the 
perfect  righteousness  of  his  Surety,  who 


JUSTIFICATION.  101 

has  in  his  stead,  obeyed  the  precept  and 
suffered  the  penalty  of  the  law;  and 
thus  rendered  a  complete  satisfaction  to 
both  law  and  justice.  He  can,  therefore, 
be  just,  while  he  justifies  the  ungodly; 
for  the  sentence  is  not  pronounced  on 
the  ground  of  any  righteousness  which 
the  believing  sinner  has  of  his  own,  but 
entirely  on  the  ground  of  the  perfect 
righteousness  of  the  Mediator,  which  is 
accepted,  as  though  it  had  been  rendered 
by  himself  And  in  this  transaction 
there  is  no  erroneous  judgment ;  for  the 
Judge  sees  every  thing  as  it  is,  and  par- 
dons the  sinner  and  accepts  his  person, 
because  he  is  seen  "not  having  on  his 
own  righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law, 
but  the  righteousness  which  is  of  the  faith 
of  Christ;  even  the  righteousness  which 
is  of  God  by  faith." 

Some  are  willing  to  admit  that  the 
forgiveness  of  sin  is  on  account  of  the 
atonement  of  Christ;  but  they  are  strong- 
ly opposed  to  the  idea,  that  Christ's  actual 


102  JUSTIFICATION. 

obedience  to  the  law  should  be  the  ground 
of  the  believer's  being  adjudged  to  eternal 
life.  But,  if  this  be  excluded,  then  the  be- 
liever's own  obedience  raust  be  the  ground 
on  which  he  receives  life.  But,  here  again, 
its  imperfection  renders  it  impossible  that 
it  should  entitle  him  to  any  reward,  much 
less  to  the  reward  of  eternal  life.  The 
Scriptures,  however,  settle  this  dispute. 
Paul  says,  "  As  by  the  disobedience  of 
one  many  were  made  sinners;  so  by  the 
obedience  of  one  shall  many  be  made 
righteous."  Christ  is,  by  the  prophet, 
emphatically  called,    "  The  Lord  our 

RIGHTEOUSNESS." 

This  is  charged  upon  the  Jews  as 
their  fatal  mistake,  "  That  they  went 
about  to  establish  a  righteousness  of 
their  own,  and  did  not  submit  unto  the 
righteousness  of  God."  And  it  is  then 
df^clared,  that  "  Christ  is  the  end  of  the 
law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that 
belie veth  " 

As  it  is  said,  "  that  faith  is  imputed 


JUSTIFICATION.  103 

for  righteousness ;"  many  have  adopted 
the  opinion,  that  the  act  of  faith  is  gra- 
ciously accepted,  instead  of  a  legal  right- 
eousness. But  this  would  be  inconsistent 
with  the  scope  of  the  apostle,  whose  main 
object  is  to  show,  that  justification  is  en- 
tirely gratuitous,  on  account  of  Christ's 
merit ;  but  faith  is  as  much  our  act  and 
our  work,  as  any  thing  else;  and,  if  a 
man  is  justified  by  his  own  faith,  then 
boasting  is  no  more  excluded,  than  when 
he  seeks  justification  by  many  good  acts. 
Besides,  the  Judge  of  all  cannot  declare, 
that  the  mere  act  of  faith  answers  all  the 
demands  of  the  law.  Therefore,  when 
it  is  said,  that  faith  is  imputed  for  right- 
eousness, it  must  relate  to  the  object  of 
faith,  even  the  perfect  righteousness  of 
Christ.  If  a  condemned  criminal  should 
be  pardoned  by  his  prince,  on  account  of 
the  intercession  of  his  own  son,  when 
the  pardon  is  offered,  the  man  gladly 
accepts  it ;  this  act  of  acceptance  may 
be  said  to  save  him   from   death ;    but, 


104  JUSTIFICATION. 

the  true  ground  of  his  deliverance  is  the 
intercession  of  the  prince.  In  this  way, 
as  a  mere  instrument,  faith  justifies  the 
sinner,  and  is  imputed  for  righteousness, 
because  it  lays  hold  of  and  appropriates 
the  righteousness  of  God,  by  which  the 
law  of  God  has  been  completely  satisfied. 
Othei^,  considering  faith  as  the  root  of 
every  Christian  virtue,  and  the  spring  of 
all  good  works,  adopt  the  opinion,  that  to 
be  justified  by  faith  is  the  same  as  to  be 
justified  by  our  whole  evangelical  obedi- 
ence, and  that  the  works  excluded  by 
Paul,  are  either  ceremonial  observances, 
or  "  dead  works,"  not  proceeding  from 
faith.  To  this  theory  the  same  objection 
lies,  as  has  been  already  urged  ;  namely, 
that  this  righteousness  is  imperfect,  and 
no  imperfect  righteousness  can  justify. 
And  another  objection,  which  is  fatal  to 
this  theory,  is,  that  the  sinner  is  justified 
completely  when  he  first  believes,  "There 
is  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in 
Christ  Jesus."  "Being  justified  freely  by 


JUSTIFICATION.  105 

his  grace,"  "being  justified  by  faith." 
But,  if  evangehcal  obedience  is  the  ground 
of  justification,  no  man  can  be  justified  in 
this  life,  for  he  will  be  engaged  in  working 
out  this  righteousness  all  his  life.  This 
consequence  being  inevitable,*  a  learned 
commentator  maintains,  that  there  is  no 
justification  till  the  day  of  judgment. 

There  is  nothing  more  difficult  than  to 
bring  men  off  from  dependence,  in  some 
form,  on  their  own  righteousness.  There- 
fore, the  advocates  of  human  merit,  and 
justification  by  works,  have  seized  with 
avidity  upon  the  words  of  the  apostle 
James,  who  declares  that  a  man  is  justified 
by  works  and  not  by  faith  alone.  If  he 
used  the  words  "faith  and  justification" 
in  the  same  sense  as  that  in  which  they 
are  used  by  Paul,  there  would  be  a  flat 
contradiction  between  these  two  apostles. 
Thus  Luther  viewed  the  matter  at  first, 
and,  therefore,  for  a  while,  rejected  the 
epistle  of  James.  But,  when  the  scope 
of  this  apostle   is   considered,  and  the 


106  JUSTIFICATION. 

whole  discourse  impartially  considered 
it  will  be  found,  that  in  doctrine  he  and 
Paul  did  not  disagree,  though  they  em- 
ploy the  terms  mentioned  in  a  somewhat 
different  sense.  James  was  engaged  in 
refuting  the  opinion  of  certain  professors, 
who  held  that  all  that  was  necessary  to 
justification  was  a  speculative  assent  to 
the  truth.  He  shows  that  such  a  faith, 
being  dead,  could  not  justify.  His  doc- 
trineis,that  a  living,  operative  faith, is  ne- 
cessary; and,  that  our  faith  must  be  shown 
by  our  works;  and  this  is  the  same  thing 
which  Paul  taught.  Moreover,  he  uses  the 
word  justification,  in  the  passage  referred 
to,  not  for  a  sinner's  acceptance  with  God 
at  first,  but  by  it  he  means  that  which 
showed  his  sincerity;  those  good  works 
which  the  saints  perform  justify  them  in 
the  eyes  of  men;  and  this  is  evident 
from  the  example  of  Abraham,  for  he 
asks.  Was  not  Abraham  justified  by 
works,  when  he  offered  up  his  son?  But 
the  pious  act  of  offering  up  Isaac  took 


JUSTIFICATION.  107 

place  many  years  after  God  had  accept- 
ed Abraham,  and  entered  into  covenant 
with  him.  This  act,  therefore,  could  not 
have  been  the  ground  of  his  justification 
in  the  sight  of  God ;  but  it  justified  the 
sincerity  of  his  profession,  and  showed 
that  he  was  indeed  a  true  believer.  These 
apostles,  therefore,  do  not  differ,  but  es- 
sentially agree  in  their  doctrine. 

By  an  impartial  consideration  of  all 
the  schemes  of  justification  which  have 
been  devised,  there  is  none  which  gives 
due  honour  to  the  divine  law,  except  that 
which  represents  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  imputed  and  received  by  faith  as 
the  only  ground  of  a  sinner's  pardon  and 
acceptance.  And,  if  God  could  have 
been  just,  and  could  have  justified  the 
sinner  on  any  other  ground,  the  whole 
Mediatorial  work  of  Christ  might  have 
been  dispensed  with. 

A  common  objection  to  this  doctrine 
of  gratuitous  justification  is,  that  it  tends 
to  negligence  and  licentiousness.     This 


108  JUSTIFICATION. 

objection  is  as  old  as  the  time  of  Paul, 
for  he  states  it  distinctly  and  answers  it 
effectiially.  "Do  we  make  void  the  law 
through  faith,  nay  we  establish  the  law." 
"  Shall  we  continue  in  sin  that  grace  may 
abound?  God  forbid!  how  shall  we  that 
are  dead  to  sin  live  any  longer  therein?" 
The  faith  which  justifies,  works  by  love 
and  purifies  the  heart,  therefore,  the  jus- 
tified person  cannot  be  negligent  of  good 
works.  And,  if  an  appeal  be  made  to 
facts,  it  will  be  found  that  those  who 
maintain  this  doctrine  are  not  deficient 
in  obedience. 


109 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

REGENERATION    AND    CONVERSION. 

The  necessity  of  a  change  of  moral 
character  in  man  arises  from  the  fact, 
that  by  nature  all  men  are  "dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins,"  and,  therefore,  if 
any  of  the  human  race  are  ever  saved, 
they  must  be  regenerated;  for,  even  if 
a  man  could  be  justified  and  yet  remain 
under  the  power  of  sin,  he  could  not  be 
happy,  because  sin  contains  in  itself  the 
seeds  of  misery,  and  such  an  one  would 
certainly  be  incapable  of  participating  in 
the  joys  of  heaven,  which  require  a  holy 
nature  to  perceive  or  relish  them.  There- 
fore, our  Lord  said  to  Nicodemus,  "  ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see 
the  kinn;dom  of  God." 


110  EEGENERATION 

It  is  not  necessary  to  be  very  exact  in 
distinguishing  between  regeneration  and 
conversion,  especially  as  the  Scriptures 
appear  to  speak  of  both  together.  But, 
it  may  not  be  amiss  to  remark,  that  re- 
generation, which  is  the  communication 
of  spiritual  life,  is  the  act  of  God ;  con- 
version, which  is  a  turning  from  sin  to 
God,  is  an  act,  in  consequence  of  the 
divine  influence  exerted  on  our  minds. 

That  God  is  the  author  of  regeneration 
is  evident  from  Scripture,  and  from  the 
nature  of  the  case.  The  same  power  that 
"  caused  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness 
must  shine  into  our  hearts,  to  give  us  the 
light  of  the  knowledge  of  God."  "  Who 
are  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of 
the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of 
God."  And,  as  this  work  in  the  economy 
of  salvation  belongs  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  it 
is  said,  "  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water 
and  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  see  the  king- 
dom of  God."  That  man  cannot  regen- 
erate himself  is  too  evident  to  need  a  re- 


AND    CONVERSION,  111 

mark.  Life,  in  all  cases,  is  the  gift  of 
God.  If  spiritual  life  be  extinct  in  man, 
none  but  the  power  of  God  is  adequate 
to  rekindle  it.  It  would  be  as  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  human  body,  when 
deprived  of  animal  life,  could  restore 
itself  to  activity  and  animation,  as  that 
a  soul  dead  in  sin  should  be  able  to  per- 
form the  acts  which  appertain  to  spiritual 
life. 

It  is  said  that  we  are  "  born  again  by  the 
word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth 
for  ever,"  and,  that  God,  of  his  own  will, 
"begets  us  again  by  the  word  of  truth." 
But  the  word,  in  this  case,  must  be  con- 
sidered as  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
the  Spirit;  it  can  have  no  saving  efficacy 
without  a  divine  energy  accompanying 
it.  But,  how  is  the  word  a  means  of 
regeneration?  To  this  two  answers  may 
be  given,  accordingly  as  we  use  the  word 
regeneration  in  a  stricter  or  wider  sense. 
As  the  operation  of  God  in  the  commu- 
nication of  life  to  the  soul  is  an  instan- 


112  REGENERATION 

taneous  act,  there  is  no  place  for  any 
instrumentality  in  producing  the  effect; 
and,  as  the  word  only  produces  a  saving 
effect,  when  the  heart  is  prepared  by 
grace,  the  word  is  the  means  of  re- 
generation only  as  God  has  connected 
the  influences  of  the  Spirit  with  the 
preaching  and  reading  of  the  word.  But, 
if  we  take  the  new  birth  in  a  wider  sense, 
to  include  not  merely  the  operation  of 
God  on  the  soul,  but  also  the  effects  pro- 
duced in  the  chano-ed  views,  and  feelinss 
of  the  soul,  then  we  can  easily  under- 
stand how  the  word  is  a  means  of  giving 
knowledge  to  the  mind,  and  of  exciting 
those  exercises  and  affections,  in  which 
the  spiritual  life  essentially  consists.  The 
word,  alone,  can  never  generate  a  true 
faith;  but,  when  the  Spirit  of  God  has 
operated  on  the  blind  mind,  the  glorious 
truths  of  the  gospel  begin  to  appear  in 
their  true  light,  and  become  the  object 
of  a  saving  faith.  So,  also,  when  the 
beauty  of  holiness  is  perceived  by  means 


AND    CONVERSION.  113 

of  the  word,  love  is  excited;  and,  when 
sin  is  viewed  as  exhibited  in  the  word  of 
God,  as  odious  and  abominable,  true  re- 
pentance is  enkindled;  and  thus  of  every 
other  exercise  of  the  renewed  nature.  It 
may,  therefore,  be  truly  said,  that  in 
every  act  of  the  spiritual  life,  the  word  of 
truth  is  concerned;  it  presents  the  proper 
object  and  supplies  the  persuasive  motive. 
Indeed,  if  the  mind  were  in  a  state  free 
from  blindness  and  corruption,  the  mere 
objective  presentation  of  the  truth,  with- 
out any  supernatural  influences,  would 
bring  into  exercise  all  holy  acts  and 
affections. 

In  regeneration  there  is  no  new  faculty 
created,  understanding  by  the  word  fa- 
culty some  constituent  power  of  the  soul; 
for,  as  by  the  fall  man  did  not  cease  to 
be  a  moral  agent,  but  retained  all  the 
faculties  which  belonged  to  him  as  man ; 
so  in  regeneration,  no  new  faculty  is  pro- 
duced. The  loss  was  not  of  any  physi- 
cal power,  but  of  the  moral  excellence 
8 


114  REGENERATION 

in  which  man  was  created.  The  same 
soul  may  be  in  ignorance  or  filled  with 
knowledge  ;  actuated  by  holy  desires  and 
affections,  or  the  contrary.  The  moral 
character  is  a  kind  of  clothing  of  the 
soul,  which  may  be  essentially  changed, 
while  the  essence  of  the  soul,  and  its 
natural  faculties  remain  unchanged. 

Although  Almighty  power  is  exerted 
in  the  regeneration  of  a  sinner,  yet  man 
is  only  conscious  of  the  effects,  as  they 
appear  in  the  exercises  of  the  renewed 
mind.  And  as  the  end  accomplished  in 
this  change  is  the  partial  restoration  of 
the  lost  image  of  God,  or  "  knowledge 
and  true  holiness,"  the  evidences  of  re- 
generation are  the  same  as  the  evidences 
of  a  holy  nature.  And  as  spiritual  or 
holy  exercises  are  specifically  different 
from  all  others,  there  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty in  discerning  the  characteristics  of 
piety  in  ourselves,  were  it  not  for  the 
feebleness  of  these  exercises  and  the  sad 
mixture  of  feelings  of  an  opposite  nature. 


AND    CONVERSION.  115 

The  best  way,  therefore,  to  obtain  a  com- 
fortable assurance,  that  we  are  regene- 
rated is,  to  press  on  with  assiduity  and 
alacrity  in  the  divine  life.  That  which 
is  obscure  in  itself  will  not  become  clear 
by  poring  over  it  ever  so  long;  but,  if  we 
emerge  from  our  darkness,  and  come 
forth  into  the  light,  we  shall  be  able  to 
discern  clearly,  what  was  before  involv- 
ed in  obscurity.  If  we  would  know 
whether  our  faith  and  love  and  hope  are 
genuine,  we  must  seek  to  bring  these 
graces  into  lively  exercise,  and  then  we 
cannot  avoid  perceiving  their  true  charac- 
ter. But  as  faith  is  really  the  apprehen- 
sion and  reception  of  offered  mercy,  it  is 
by  directly  believing  in  Christ,  or  actu- 
ally rolling  our  burdens  on  him,  that  we 
experience  peace  and  confidence.  Where 
a  good  work  is  begun,  it  will  be  carried 
on.  None  but  they  who  persevere  to  the 
end  shall  be  saved.  In  concluding  this 
article,  we  may  adopt  the  language  of 
the  beloved  disciple,  "  Behold  what  man- 


116  REGENERATION,  ETC. 

ner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed 
upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the 
sons  of  God  !  Beloved,  now  are  we  the 
sons  of  God;  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be;  but  we  know  that 
when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like 
him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 


117 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

REPENTANCE    TOWARD    GOD    AND    FAITH 
IN    OUR    LORD    JESUS    CHRIST. 

Paul  gives  "  repentance  toward  God  and 
faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  as  a 
summary  of  his  preaching,  during  his 
two  years'  ministry  at  Ephesus;  and,  as 
comprehending  the  whole  counsel  of  God, 
and  as  including  whatever  was  profitable 
to  the  people. 

Repentance  literally  signifies  a  change 
of  mind  for  the  better  ;  but  in  our  Shorter 
Catechism  it  is  defined  to  be,  "  A  saving 
grace,  whereby  a  sinner  out  of  a  true 
sense  of  his  sin,  and  apprehension  of  the 
mercy  of  God  in  Christ,  doth,  with  grief 
and  hatred  of  his  sin,  turn  from  it  unto 
God,  with  full  purpose  of  and  endeavour 


118  REPENTANCE    AND    FAITH. 

after  new  obedience."  And  in  the  same 
place,  faith  is  defined  to  be,  "  A  saving 
grace  whereby  we  receive  and  rest  upon 
him  (Jesus  Christ)  for  salvation  as  he  is 
freely  offered  in  the  gospel."  Whatever 
difference  of  opinion  there  may  be  as  to 
the  precise  meaning  of  these  scriptural 
terms,  all  sound  Christians  will  admit, 
that  for  popular  and  practical  use,  no 
language  could  be  selected  which  would 
more  perspicuously  and  properly  convey 
to  the  reader  a  true  notion  of  these  fun- 
damental graces.  And,  as  to  the  prece- 
dence of  one  before  the  other,  it  is  a 
question  as  impertinent,  as  whether  a 
whole  precedes  one  of  its  parts,  or  is 
preceded  by  it.  No  man  can  give  a 
sound  definition  of  evangelical  repent- 
ance which  will  not  include  faith.  But, 
if  the  word  repentance  be  used  in  a  more 
restricted  sense,  for  godly  sorrow  for  sin 
and  hatred  of  it,  it  must  be  preceded  by 
a  true  faith,  for  seeing  in  a  rational  mind 
goes  before  feeling.     There  must  be  a 


REPENTANCE    AND    FAITH.  119 

perception  of  the  holiness  of  the  divine 
law,  before  the  turpitude  of  sin  can  be  so 
seen  as  to  occasion  grief  and  hatred  on 
account  of  it.  But,  if  by  faith  be  meant 
that  cordial  reception  of  Christ,  which  is 
mentioned  in  the  words  cited  from  the 
catechism,  then,  certainly,  there  must  be 
some  true  sense  of  sin;  before  we  can 
appreciate  Christ  as  a  Saviour  from  sin. 
But,  it  is  altogether  wrong  to  perplex  the 
minds  of  serious  Christians  with  useless 
questions  of  this  sort.  Let  the  schoolmen 
discuss  such  matters  to  their  heart's  con- 
tent, but  let  the  humble  Christian  rest  in 
the  plain  and  obvious  meaning  of  the 
words  of  Scripture.  The  effect  of  divine 
truth  on  the  heart  is  produced  by  general 
views,  and  not  by  nice  and  accurate  dis- 
tinctions. 

Both  faith  and  repentance  must  be 
proved  to  be  genuine  by  their  fruits. 
"  Faith  works  by  love  and  purifies  the 
heart."  "  Faith  overcomes  the  world." 
James  says,  "  show  me  thy  failh  with- 


120  REPEA^TANCE    AND    FAITH. 

out  thy  works,  and  I  will  show  thee  my 
faith  by  my  works."  Repentance  is  itself 
a  turning  from  sin  unto  God.  It  is  the 
commencement  of  a  reformation  from  all 
sin.  John  the  Baptist,  when  he  incul- 
cated repentance,  at  the  same  time  called 
upon  the  people  "  to  bring  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance."  Repentance  is  no 
atonement  for  sin ;  but  it  is  indissolubly 
connected  with  the  pardon  of  sin.  There- 
fore it  was  said,  "  Repent  and  be  con- 
verted, that  your  sins  may  be  blotted 
out." 


121 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SANCTIFICATION  ;    OR,   GROWTH    IN 
GRACE. 

In  regeneration  spiritual  life  is  commu- 
nicated ;  but  this  incipient  principle  is  in 
its  infancy  when  first  implanted.  The 
vigour  of  spiritual  life  seems  to  be  anal- 
ogous to  natural  life,  very  different  in 
difl^erent  subjects.  But  in  all  it  is  imper- 
fect, and  needs  to  be  assiduously  cher- 
ished and  nurtured,  that  it  may  daily 
gain  strength,  and  gradually  rise  to  ma- 
turity. There  are  various  means  of  di- 
vine appointment,  conducive  to  this  end, 
in  the  use  of  which  growth  is  as  certain 
as  in  the  body,  when  supplied  with  nutri- 
ment. In  the  former,  as  well  as  in  the 
latter,  there  may  be  seasons  of  decay, 


122  SANCTIFICATION  ;    OR, 

arising  from  various  untoward  causes ; 
but,  it  may  be  assumed  as  a  fact,  that 
where  the  principle  of  piety  is  really 
radicated  in  the  soul,  there  will  be  growth ; 
the  steady  tendency  will  be  to  a  state  of 
maturity.  And,  although  perfection  is 
never  attained  in  this  life,  yet  there  is  in 
all  true  Christians  a  sincere  desire  after 
it,  and  there  may  be  a  constant  approxi- 
mation toward  it  as  long  as  they  live. 
And  such  a  state  of  piety  may  be  attain- 
ed, as,  comparatively,  may  be  termed  a 
state  of  perfection,  and  is  so  teimed  in 
Scripture.  From  w^hat  has  been  said,  it 
will  be  apparent,  that  sanctification  does 
not  differ  specifically  from  regeneration ; 
the  one  is  the  commencement,  the  other 
the  continuance  and  increase  of  the  same 
principle. 

Two  things  are  commonly  intended  in 
the  word  sanctification.  The  first  is,  the 
mortification  of  sin  ;  the  last,  the  increase 
of  the  vigour  and  constancy  of  the  ex- 
ercises  of  piety.     But,  although   these 


GROWTH    IN    GRACE.  123 

may  be  distinguished,  yet  there  is  no 
need  to  treat  of  them  separately,  because 
the  advancement  of  the  one  cannot  but  be 
accompanied  with  progress  in  the  other. 
Like  the  two  scales  of  a  balance,  when 
one  is  depressed  the  other  rises.  Just  so 
in  the  divine  life  in  the  soul,  if  pride  is 
humbled,  humility  is  of  necessity  in- 
creased ;  if  the  undue  love  of  the  crea- 
ture is  mortified,  the  love  of  God  will  be 
strengthened ;  and  so  of  every  other 
grace.  Indeed,  when  we  examine  the 
subject  accurately,  we  shall  find,  that  all 
real  mortification  of  sin  is  by  the  exercise 
of  faith  and  those  holy  affections  which 
flow  from  it.  By  legal  striving,  however 
earnest,  or  by  ascetic  discipline,  however 
rigid,  very  little  head  way  is  made  against 
the  stream  of  inherent  corruption.  It  is 
right,  indeed,  to  keep  the  body  under,  lest 
its  blind  appetites  and  impulses  should 
hinder  the  exercises  of  religion;  and  oc- 
casional fasting,  when  free  from  super- 
stition, does  greatly  aid  the  spiritual  pro- 


124  SANCTIFICATION  ;    OR, 

gress  of  the  true  Christian;  and  this  is 
especially  the  fact,  when  he  is  in  conflict 
with  some  fleshly  lust,  or  easily  besetting 
sin.  A  pampered  body  will  ever  be  an 
enemy  to  growth  in  grace. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  w^e  are 
as  dependent  on  the  Holy  Spirit  for  every 
holy  act  and  exercise,  as  for  the  ability 
to  put  forth  the  first  act  of  faith,  when 
regenerated.  We  have  no  strength  in 
ourselves,  in  consequence  of  our  justifi- 
cation and  conversion.  Christ  has  said, 
"  Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing."  He  is 
the  vine,  and  believers  are  the  branches. 
"  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  except 
it  abide  in  the  vine,  neither  can  ye  except 
ye  abide  in  me."  Yet  this  does  not  take 
away  or  diminish  our  motives  for  exer- 
tion; so  far  from  it,  that  it  affords  the 
only  encouragement  which  w^e  have  for 
diligence  in  the  use  of  means.  For  though 
the  power  is  of  God,  that  power  is  exert- 
ed through  the  means  of  divine  appoint- 
ment.   Therefore  in  Scripture,  divine  aid 


GROWTH    IN    GRACE.  125 

and  human  agency  are  constantly  united. 
When  Christians  are  exhorted  "to  work 
out  their  salvation,"  the  reason  assigned 
is,  "  for  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you 
both  to  will  and  to  do,  of  his  own  good 
pleasure." 

Where  two  opposite  principles  exist  in 
the  same  person  there  must  be  a  conflict. 
When  the  whole  current  of  the  affections 
runs  toward  the  world,  there  being  no  op- 
posing principle,  no  conflict  is  experi- 
enced, except  that  which  arises  from  the 
remonstrances  of  conscience;  or  from 
the  discordant  craving  of  conflicting  de- 
sires of  a  sinful  kind.  But,  in  the  true 
believer,  "  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the 
spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh ;  so 
that  they  cannot  do  the  things  that  they 
would."  And  often  the  spiritual  man  is 
made  to  groan  in  agony,  and  to  cry  out, 
"  O,  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall 
deliver  me  from  this  body  of  death?" 
Although,  in  this  warfare,  the  principle 
of  grace  is  generally  victorious,  for  it  is 


126  SANCTIFICATION  ;    OR, 

written,  "  sin  shall  not  have  dominion 
over  you ;"  yet,  sometimes,  by  the  power 
of  temptation,  and  negligence  in  watch- 
fulness, the  man  of  God  is  cast  down  and 
degraded,  and  unless  raised  up  by  the 
hand  of  the  Captain  of  his  salvation,  he 
would  rise  no  more.  But,  as  the  work 
of  grace  was  begun  without  any  merit  or 
cooperation  of  the  believer,  the  same 
love  which  at  first  effectually  called  him 
away  from  his  sins  and  from  the  world, 
still  pursues  him,  and  will  not  suffer  the 
enemy  ultimately  to  triumph  over  him. 
Satan  shall  never  have  the  opportunity  of 
boasting  that  he  has  accomplished  the 
ruin  of  one  whom  God  purposed  to  save, 
and  to  save  whom  Christ  died,  and  who 
has  been  effectually  called  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  He  may  fall,  but  he  shall  rise 
again,  for  "God  hath  said,  "  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee,"  and  "  I  will  never 
leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee."  And  not 
unfrequently,  the  very  falls  of  the  chil- 
dren of  God  are  overruled  for  their  more 


GROWTH    IN    GRACE.  127 

rapid  progress  in  future.  Nothing  more 
tends  to  humble  the  soul,  and  destroy 
self-confidence,  than  being  overtaken  by 
such  faults. 

The  means  of  sanctification  may  be 
comprehended  under  two  general  heads, 
the  word  of  God  and  prayer.  The  first 
is  the  food  which  is  provided  for  the 
nourishment  of  the  soul,  and  by  which  it 
lives.  Christ  himself  is  indeed  the  bread 
of  life — the  manna  that  came  down  from 
heaven;  but  it  is  only  in  the  word,  that 
we  can  find  Christ :  there  he  is  revealed 
— there  his  dignity  and  glory  are  mani- 
fested— there  we  behold  his  holy  life,  his 
miracles,  his  sufferings,  his  death,  resur- 
rection, ascension,  and  intercession.  The 
whole  object  of  faith,  and  love,  and  hope, 
is  found  in  the  word  of  God.  Therefore, 
it  is  by  the  assiduous  study  of  the  word, 
and  meditation  on  its  truths,  that  we  are 
to  expect  an  increase  of  faith,  and  a  real 
growth  in  grace. 

The  other  principal  means  of  growth 


128  sanctification;  or, 

is  prayer ;  especially,  prayer  for  the  in- 
fluences of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Without  the 
Spirit,  as  we  have  seen,  there  can  be  no 
progress;  but  this  sum  of  blessings  is 
graciously  promised  in  answer  to  prayer. 
And  these  two  means  are  harmonious ; 
for  the  word  is  the  "  sword  of  the  Spirit." 
The  Spirit  operates  only  by  the  word. 
Therefore,  though  we  read  that  sanctifi- 
cation is  of  the  Spirit,  we  also  read  that 
effectual  prayer  of  Jesus  Christ,  "Sanc- 
tify them  through  thy  truth,  thy  word  is 
truth." 

Although  all  the  means  of  sanctifica- 
tion may  be  comprehended  under  the 
word  of  God  and  prayer,  yet  there  are 
many  subordinate  means,  which  have  a 
powerfijl  efficacy  in  giving  application 
and  force  to  these  means.  In  this  light 
may  be  considered  the  ministry,  the  read- 
ing of  good  hooks,  attendance  on  the 
sacraments,  and  fasting.  But  there  is 
one  means  of  grace  of  this  class  which 


GROWTH    IN   GRACE.  129 

we  are  not  required  to  resort  to,  which 
is  often  employed  by  our  heavenly  Fa- 
ther, with  great  effect  in  promoting  the 
sanctification  of  his  children,  I  mean  the 
chastisements  of  his  rod.  The  benefit  of 
affliction  is  often  celebrated  in  Scripture; 
and  almost  every  child  of  God  can,  after 
a  kw  years'  experience,  adopt  the  lan- 
guage of  the  royal  Psalmist,  and  say, 
"  It  was  good  for  me  that  I  was  afflicted." 
And  Paul  testifies,  "  That  though  no 
chastisement  for  the  present  is  joyous  but 
grievous,  yet  afterwards  it  worketh  the 
peaceable  fruits  of  righteousnes  in  them 
who  are  exercised  thereby."  Afflictions 
are  often  used  as  the  means  of  recover- 
ing the  children  of  God  from  a  state  of 
backsliding;  as  says  David,  "Before  I 
was  aiHicted,  I  went  astray,  but  now  I 
keep  thy  testimonies." 

Though  Christians  do   not  arrive  at 
sinless  perfection  in  this   life,  yet  it  is 
a  state   to   which   every    humble  child 
9 


130  SANCTIFICATION,  ETC. 

of  God  shall  attain  at  death.  Christ  will 
present  his  whole  body  before  his  Father's 
throne,  "  without  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any- 
such  thing."  "  We  shall  be  like  him, 
for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 


131 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

GOOD  WORKS  ;    OR,  CHRISTIAN  DUTIES. 

"Truth  is  in  order  to  goodness;"  and 
the  great  touchstone  of  truth,  is  its  tenden- 
cy to  promote  holiness,  according  to  the 
Saviour's  rule:  "By  their  fruits  shall  ye 
know  them." 

Good  works  are  such  as  the  law  of 
God  requires  to  be  performed  by  all  per- 
sons, according  to  the  relations  in  which 
they  stand,  and  the  positive  precepts 
which  he  has  enjoined,  and  which  are  in 
force  at  the  time.  They  have  been  com- 
monly divided  into  three  classes,  the  du- 
ties which  we  owe  to  God,  to  our  neighbou  r, 
and  to  ourselves  ;  but  in  strict  propriety 


132  GOOD  works;  or, 

of  speech,  all  our  duties,  whoever  may  be 
the  object,  are  due  to  God.  He  is  our 
Lawgiver,  and  we  are  under  the  moral 
government  of  no  other. 

Though  Christ  fulfilled  the  preceptive 
part  of  the  law  in  the  room  of  God's 
chosen  people,  yet  he  did  not  thereby  free 
Ihem  from  the  obligation  of  obedience  to 
the  moral  law.  Such  a  release  from 
moral  obligation  is  inconceivable;  for  it 
is  impossible  that  a  creature  should  not 
be  under  obligations  to  love  and  honour 
his  Creator ;  but  if  such  exemption  from 
law  were  possible,  it  would  be  no  bless- 
ing but  a  curse;  for  our  happiness  con- 
sists in  conformity  to  the  law  of  God. 
"  In  keeping  thy  commandments,  there 
is  a  great  reward." 

As  the  obligation  to  obedience  cannot  be 
removed,  so  neither  can  the  requisitions 
of  the  law,  as  some  suppose,  be  lowered. 
Man  must  ever  be  as  much  bound  to 
love  God  with  the  whole  heart,  as  to  love 
him  at  all.     If  man  had  fulfilled  the  con- 


CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  133 

dition  of  the  first  covenant,  which  re- 
quired perfect  obedience  during  his  pro- 
bation, he  would  not  have  been  free  from 
moral  obligation  to  obedience  in  conse- 
quence of  his  justification.  Angels,  who 
are  supposed  to  be  now  confirmed  in  hap- 
piness, are  as  much  under  obligation  to 
love  God  as  ever.  Indeed,  as  has  been 
hinted,  holiness  and  happiness  are  in- 
separable. The  Holy  Scriptures  abound 
in  exhortations  to  Christians  to  be  dili- 
gent, zealous,  and  persevering  in  the  per- 
formance of  the  respective  duties  of  their 
stations ;  and  in  the  performance,  divine 
aid  may  be  asked  and  confidently  ex- 
pected. 

Some  duties  are  incumbent  on  all  class- 
es of  people;  such  as  the  worship  of  God, 
doing  good  to  men,  and  abstaining  from 
every  thing  which  would  have  a  tendency 
to  dishonour  Christ,  to  injure  our  neigh- 
bour, or  hinder  our  own  usefulness  and 
improvement.  Two  things  especially 
are  incumbent  on  all  in  relation  to  their 


134  GOOD  works;  or, 

fellow-creatures  residing  on  the  earth 
with  them.  The  first  is  the  communica- 
tion of  saving  knowledge  to  such  as  are 
so  unfortunate  as  to  be  destitute  of  this 
precious  treasure.  This  is  a  duty  of  uni- 
versal obligation,  though  the  means  pro- 
per to  be  used  by  different  persons  will 
vary  according  to  the  variety  of  the  cir- 
cumstances in  which  they  are  placed.  It 
is  the  duty  of  all  Christians  to  "  let  their 
conversation  be  always  with  grace,  sea- 
soned with  salt,  that  it  may  minister 
grace  to  the  hearers."  It  is  also  made 
their  duty  to  exhort  and  admonish  one 
another,  and  that  daily,  lest  any  be  har- 
dened through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin. 
All  Christians  are  bound  also  to  teach  by 
example  as  well  as  by  precept,  by  exhibit- 
ing to  the  view  of  all  who  see  them  a  holy 
life.  "  Let,"  says  Paul,  "  your  conver- 
sation be  such  as  becometh  the  gospel." 
And  our  blessed  Lord  in  his  sermon  on 
the  mount,  commands  :  "  Let  your  light 
so   shine  that  others  seeing    your  good 


CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  135 

works  may  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven."  It  is  evident  from  the  very 
nature  of  this  duty  which  arises  from  our 
obligation  to  love  our  neighbour  as  our- 
selves, that  all  Christians  are  bound  to 
send  the  gospel  to  those  who  are  desti- 
tute of  this  necessary  means  of  salvation ; 
for,  "  how  can  they  hear  without  a 
preacher,  and  how  can  they  preach  ex- 
cept they  be  sent?"  All,  therefore,  ac- 
cording to  their  ability,  should  contribute 
toward  this  object  by  supporting  mission- 
aries, aiding  in  the  printing  and  circula- 
tion of  Bibles  and  evangelical  tracts,  and 
institutions  of  learning  for  the  training  of 
ministers.  But  this  duty  of  diffusing 
abroad  the  precious  seed  of  divine  truth, 
devolves  especially  on  those  who  have 
been  called  to  the  holy  ministry,  who 
have  been  ordained  for  this  very  purpose, 
to  publish  to  every  creature  the  gospel  of 
the  grace  of  God.  When  a  dispensation 
of  the  gospel  is  committed  to  any  one,  he 
will  incur  a  fearful  load  of  guilt  if  he  turn 


136  GOOD  works;  or, 

aside  to  any  secular  employment.  This 
may  be  learned  from  many  things  left  on 
record  by  the  apostle  Paul.  He  call? 
God  to  witness  that  IVe  was  free  from  the 
blood  of  all  men  at  Ephesus,  because  he 
had  not  ceased  to  declare  unto  them  re- 
pentance toward  God  and  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  evidently  intimating 
that  if  he  had  not  been  thus  faithful  and 
diligent,  he  would  have  incurred  the  guilt 
of  their  destruction  ;  Avhich  is  exactly  in 
accordance  with  what  is  said  respecting 
the  unfaithful  watchman  in  Ezekiel. 
The  duty  of  preaching,  to  those  who  are 
called  and  have  undertaken  the  office  is 
not  optional,  which  is  evident  from  what 
Paul  says  in  another  place,  "  Wo  is  me, 
if  I  preach  not  the  gospel." 

Others,  who  have  the  instruction  of 
youth  committed  to  them,  are  under 
peculiar  obligations  to  instil  into  their 
opening  minds  the  doctrines  of  God's 
holy  word.  Parents,  guardians  of  or- 
phans, and  teachers  of  schools  of  every 


CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  137 

kind,  are  bound  by  tbis  obligation,  from 
which  no  human  laws  can  exempt  them. 
Another  duty  of  universal  obligation  is 
to  pray  to  God  for  his  blessing  on  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth;  and  especially  on 
kings  and  all  that  are  in  authority,  not 
only  that  they  may  obtain  salvation,  but 
that  Christians,  under  a  wise  and  equita- 
ble administration  of  law,  "  may  lead 
quiet  and  peaceable  lives  in  all  godliness 
and  honesty."  All  are  bound  to  join 
cordially  and  fervently  in  the  public 
prayers  of  the  church,  and  not  to  neglect 
the  assembling  themselves  together,  as 
the  manner  of  some  is.  We  have  en- 
couragement also  to  agree  together,  in 
smaller  associations  for  prayer;  and  are 
assured  that  Christ  will  be  present  in 
such  meetings,  and  that  the  concordant 
prayers  there  offered  will  be  graciously 
answered.  And  who  can  doubt,  that,  as 
we  are  commanded  "  to  pray  without 
ceasing,"  and  "  to  pray  every  where, 
holding  up  holy  hands,"  family  prayer 


138  GOOD  works;  or, 

is  an  incumbent  duty?  But  in  addition 
to  all  these,  "  we  should  enter  into  our 
closets,  and  shut  the  door,  and  pray  to 
our  Father  in  secret ;  and  our  Father 
who  seeth  in  secret  will  reward  us  open- 

Among  the  prescribed  duties  of  Chris- 
tians, there  is  none  which  is  more  sol- 
emnly and  emphatically  inculcated  than 
a  compassionate  regard  to  the  poor  and 
afflicted.  Indeed,  the  phrase  "  good 
works,"  is  most  commonly  employed  in 
Scripture,  in  relation  to  this  single  thing. 
In  this  we  follow  the  example  of  Christ, 
"  who  went  about  doing  good,"  by  preach- 
ing the  gospel  to  the  poor,  and  by  reliev- 
ing the  distresses  of  the  afflicted.  And 
it  is  the  assiduous  performance  of  this 
duty  which  recommends  the  go?pel  to  the 
judgment  and  conscience  of  men,  more 
than  any  thing  else.  "Pure  religion  and 
undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father,  is 
to  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in 
their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  un- 


CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  139 

spotted  from  the  world."  Nothing  more 
is  necessary  to  convince  us  of  the  im- 
portance of  this  duty,  tlian  the  repre- 
sentation given  by  our  Saviour  of  the 
process  of  the  judgment,  recorded  in 
Matt.  XXV.,  where  the  destiny  of  the  as- 
sembled race  of  men  is  made  to  turn 
upon  the  kindness  shown  to  the  disci- 
ples of  Christ.  "Then  shall  the  King 
say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand.  Come, 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  king- 
dom prepared  for  you  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world :  for  I  was  an  hungered, 
and  ye  gave  me  meat:  I  was  thirsty,  and 
ye  gave  me  drink:  I  was  a  stranger,  and 
ye  took  me  in  :  naked,  and  ye  clothed 
me:  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me:  I  was 
in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me."  And, 
in  answer  to  their  inquiry,  when  they  had 
done  any  of  these  things  to  him,  he  said, 
"  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one 
of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me."  And  to  the  wicked  the 


140  GOOD    WORKS  ;    OR, 

neglect  of  this  duty  is  alone  mentioned  as 
the  ground  of  condemnation. 

Among  the  good  works  which  Christians 
are  required  to  perform,  relative  duties 
hold  a  very  conspicuous  place.  These, 
indeed,  in  number,  greatly  exceed  all 
other  Christian  duties,  and  no  day  passes 
in  which  every  one  has  not  duties  of  this 
kind  to  perform.  But,  as  the  relations  of 
men  are  very  much  diversified  by  their 
condition  in  life,  and  standing  in  society, 
these  duties  are  not  the  same  to  all  per- 
sons. One  is  a  parent,  another  a  child; 
one  is  a  magistrate,  another  a  citizen; 
one  is  a  pastor,  another  a  member  of  his 
flock ;  one  is  a  master,  another  a  servant ; 
one  is  a  husband,  another  a  wife.  Be- 
sides these,  there  are  particular  profes- 
sions and  occupations  in  life;  or  offices 
in  the  church,  or  state,  all  which  relations 
give  rise  to  duties,  which  are  incumbent 
on  all  who  sustain  these  various  relations. 
It  behoves  the  Christian  to  he  conscien- 
tious and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  all 


CHRISTIAN    DUTIES.  141 

relative  duties.  And,  as  there  is  a  neces- 
sity for  intercourse  and  commerce  among 
men,  the  virtues  of  justice  and  veracity, 
should  be  constantly  practised,  "doing 
unto  others  as  we  would  have  them  do 
unto  us."  And,  in  social  intercourse,  to 
promote  good  fellowship,  there  should  be 
real  kindness,  respectfulness,  candour, 
and  courtesy  assiduously  cultivated.  The 
standing  rule  should  be,  to  do  nothing  and 
say  nothing  which  would  tend  to  the  in- 
jury of  our  neighbour  ;  but  continually  to 
seek  to  promote  his  best  interests. 


142 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE    SACRAMENTS. 

Sacraments  are  visible  signs  of  invisible 
grace.  They  are  also  seals  of  God's  cov- 
enant with  men.  Just  as  in  more  solemn 
transactions  among  men,  besides  the 
words  in  which  the  substance  of  the  com- 
pact, or  treaty,  or  deed  of  conveyance, 
is  contained,  it  has  been  customary  from 
the  earliest  times,  to  have  certain  signs 
superadded,  to  give  solemnity  to  the  trans- 
action, and  to  deepen  the  impression  of 
the  obligations  or  stipulations  into  which 
the  parties  had  entered.  And,  frequent- 
ly, such  actions  were  performed  as  sym- 
bolically represented  the  consequences 
which  would  ensue  from  a  violation  of 


THE    SACKAMENTS.  143 

the  contract,  or  a  neglect  of  the  duty 
promised.  Thus,  it  was  customary,  not 
only  in  treaties  between  nations,  but  in  the 
more  important  transactions  among  indi- 
viduals, to  have  seals  appended  to  bonds 
and  contracts.  So  of  joining  right  hands 
and  other  ceremonies  in  marriage,  and 
wearing  ribands,  or  stars,  as  a  sign  of 
some  military  order.  We  learn  from 
Scripture,  that  it  was  customary,  ancient- 
ly, in  forming  solemn  covenants,  to  di- 
vide slaughtered  animals,  and  to  cause 
the  parties  to  pass  between  the  dissected 
parts,  by  which  it  would  seem  an  impre- 
cation was  implied,  that  if  either  of  the 
contracting  parties  should  prove  unfaith- 
ful, he  might,  in  like  manner,  be  cut  to 
pieces.  In  accommodation  to  the  nature 
and  customs  of  men,  God  has,  under 
every  dispensation,  appointed  certain  ex- 
ternal riles,  which  have  no  signification, 
but  in  connexion  with  the  covenant  to 
which  they  are  appended.  For  these 
signs,  or  symbolical  actions,  are  never 


144  THE    SACEAMENTS. 

found  but  in  connexion  with  solemn  cov- 
enants, which  they  are  intended  to  con- 
firm, or  render  the  ratification  more  so- 
lemn and  impressive. 

Another  frequent  use  of  institutions  of 
this  kind  is,  to  serve  as  memorials  of 
events  and  transactions,  which  it  was  im- 
portant should  not  be  forgotten.  Many 
such  we  have  in  the  Old  Testament. 

But  as  there  is  a  resemblance,  readily 
conceived,  between  certain  objects  or  ac- 
tions, and  certain  truths,  which  is  the 
foundation  of  figurative  language;  so  this 
resemblance  is  the  principle  on  which 
particular  signs  are  adopted.  Every 
body,  even  a  child,  can  see  that  washing 
the  body,  or  a  part  of  it,  with  pure  water, 
fitly  represents  the  moral  purification  of  the 
soul.  And,  as  truth  is  gradually  received, 
while  some  important  things  are  future, 
it  has  pleased  God  to  furnish  a  kind  of 
faint  prefiguration  of  such  events,  which 
would  serve  to  give  some  vague  idea  of 
the  matter.     Thus,  by  the  presentment 


THE    SACRAMENTS.  145 

of  animals  of  certain  species  before  the 
altar,  and  then  by  the  offerer  confessing 
his  sins  over  its  head,  before  it  was  slain, 
and  then  by  the  sprinkling  of  blood  by  the 
priest,  the  vicarious  atonement  for  sin  was 
prefigured  for  ages  before  the  real  effica- 
cious sacrifice  was  offered.  And  by  this 
ceremony,  kept  up  daily  before  the  eyes 
of  the  people,  they  were  taught  typically 
to  look  for  redemption  by  the  shedding  of 
blood,  and  to  obtain  pardon  by  having 
their  sins  transferred  to  another,  who 
would  bear  them  away.  Under  the  new 
dispensation  there  was  less  occasion  for 
these  ritual  services;  and,  therefore,  while 
the  old  ceremonial  law  was  abolished,  no 
new  sacraments  were  instituted,  except 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 

According  to  the  universal  testimony 
of  Jewish  writers,  baptism  was  practised 
by  them,  on  the  admission  of  proselytes, 
long  before  the  advent  of  Jesus  Christ. 
And,  though  circumcision  was  restricted 
to  males,  this  ceremony  was  extended  also 
10 


146  THE    SACRAMENTS. 

to  females,  and,  like  circumcision,  was 
administered  to  infants. 

When  John,  the  harbinger  of  Messiah, 
was  sent  of  God,  he  commenced  his 
ministry  by  preaching  repenlance  and 
baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins.  The 
object  of  his  mission  was  "  to  prepare  the 
way  of  the  Lord,"  by  arousing  the 
attention  of  the  people,  and  bringing 
about  a  reformation  in  the  nation.  His 
baptism  was  a  national  baptism.  It  was 
the  duty  of  all  the  people  to  repent  and 
submit  to  this  rite,  which  they  general- 
ly did  ;  the  pharisees  and  lawyers,  how- 
ever, rejected  the  counsel  of  God,  not  be- 
ing baptized  of  John. 

The  disciples  of  Christ  also,  by  his 
direction,  administered  baptism  to  such 
as  acknowledged  him  to  be  the  Messiah. 
But  baptism  as  a  rite  of  the  Christian 
church,  was  not  in  existence  until  the 
new  dispensation  commenced,  which  was 
not  until  after  Christ's  resurrection. 
Then  a  new  commission  was  given  to  the 


THE    SACEAMENTS.  147 

apostles,  "  to  go  and  make  disciples  of 
all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 
This  was  properly  the  institution  of 
Christian  baptism  ;  and  differed  from  the 
rite  as  formerly  administered  in  two  re- 
spects :  first,  in  being  in  the  name  of  the 
adorable  Trinity,  and,  secondly,  in  being 
made  a  badge  of  discipleship  in  the 
Christian  church,  or  a  formal  initiation 
into  the  visible  church  of  Christ.  "  Bap- 
tism is  not  to  be  administered  to  any  that 
are  out  of  the  visible  church  until  they 
profess  their  faith  in  Christ  and  obedience 
to  him;  but  the  children  of  such  as  are 
members  of  the  visible  church  are  to  be 
baptized." 


148 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BAPTISM. 

There  has  always  been  a  tendency  to 
make  too  much  of  these  external  rites, 
and  to  depend  unduly  upon  thenn,  as  a 
ground  on  which  to  hope  for  salvation. 
Thus,  the  Jews  so  exalled  the  importance 
of  the  rite  of  circumcision,  that  they  seem 
to  have  thought  that  being  descended 
from  Abraham,  and  having  the  sign 
in  their  flesh,  insured  their  salvation : 
which  false  confidence  Christ  and  his 
Apostles  laboured  to  overthrow.  It  is 
not  wonderful,  therefore,  that  the  same 
error  should  arise  in  regard  to  baptism. 
In  the  New  Testament  baptism  is  both  a 
duty  and  a  privilege ;  but  no  undue  im- 


9 
BAPTIS3I.  149 

portance  is  given  to  it,  nor  any  undue 
efficacy  ascribed  to  it.  Paul,  indeed, 
spent  little  of  his  time  in  administering 
this  rite.  He  avoided  it  at  Corinth, 
where  there  were  divisions  and  factions, 
lest  any  should  say  that  he  baptized  in  his 
own  name.  And  he  says  expressly  that 
Christ  sent  him  not  to  baptize  but  to  preach 
the  gospel;  which  single  declaration  is  a 
refutation  of  the  opinion  that  internal 
grace,  or  regeneration,  always  accom- 
panies baptism;  for  in  that  case  baptism 
was  far  more  important  than  preaching. 
For  Paul  could  not  certainly  convey 
grace  by  preaching;  but  if  he  could  have 
regenerated  all  to  whom  he  administered 
baptism,  he  should  have  given  himself 
up  expressly  to  this  work.  These  sacra- 
mental institutions  are  not  intended  to  be 
the  means  of  conveying  grace  to  the  sub- 
jects, in  some  mysterious  manner,  but 
they  are  intended  to  operate  on  adults  by 
the  word  of  truth,  which  accompanies 
the  ordinance. 


150  BAPTIS3I. 

Some  lay  a  great  stress  on  the  mode  in 
which  baptism  is  administered,  insisting 
that  a  total  immersion  of  the  body  in  water 
is  essential  to  the  right  administration. 
In  the  ceremonies  of  a  sacrament,  some 
thinijs  belong  to  its  essence,  because  they 
represent  symbolically  the  truth  intended 
to  be  impresed  on  the  mind;  other  things 
are  indifTerent,  because  they  are  merely 
incidental,  and  do  not  affect  the  import 
of  the  sacrament.  If  it  could  be  proved 
that  the  act  of  immersion  was  the  thing 
in  the  ceremony  which  is  principally  sig- 
nificant of  the  truth  intended  to  be  incul- 
cated, it  would  be  essential ;  but  if  the 
mode  of  applying  water  has  nothing  to 
do  with  the  emblematical  instruction  of 
the  ordinance,  it  is  an  indifferent  circum- 
stance; as  much  so,  as  whether  baptism 
be  administered  in  a  vessel  or  in  a  river; 
or  whether  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  leaven- 
ed or  unleavened  bread  be  used,  or  whe- 
ther we  recline  or  sit  upright.  And  in 
regard  to  indifferent,  incidental  circum- 


baptis:m.  151 

stances,  which  do  not  enter  into  the  es- 
sence of  the  sacrament,  there  is  no  obli- 
gation to  follow  what  all  know  was  the 
practice  of  Christ  and  the  Apostles ;  as 
we  know  that  in  the  first  institution  of 
the  sacred  supper  they  reclined  on  couch- 
es, used  unleavened  bread,  and  partook 
of  it  in  the  evening,  but  we  do  not  feel 
bound  to  imitate  any  of  these  things. 

The  baptism  of  the  children  of  those 
who  themselves  were  in  covenant  with 
God,  though  not  expressly  mentioned  in 
Scripture,  is  a  practice  supported  by  good 
and  sufficient  reasons.  It  cannot  be  sup- 
posed that  under  the  gospel  dispensation, 
the  privileges  of  the  offspring  of  believers 
are  less  than  under  the  Jewish.  But  we 
know  that  by  God's  command,  circum- 
cision, the  sign  of  the  covenant,  was  ad- 
ministered to  all  the  males.  They  were 
thus  brought  externally  within  the  bonds 
of  the  covenant;  and  although  the  external 
rite  of  initiation  has  been  changed,  there 
is  no  intimation  given  that  the  children 


15^2  BAPTISM. 

of  believers  were  to  be  henceforth  ex- 
cluded from  the  visible  church. 

Christ  was  displeased  with  his  disci- 
ples for  hindering  little  children  to  come 
unto  him,  "  for,"  said  he  "  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  And  he  took  them 
in  his  arms  and  blessed  them." 

Household  baptism  was  practised  by 
the  Apostles,  and  children  form  a  part  of 
most  households. 

Infants  are  depraved  and  need  the 
washing  of  regeneration,  and  are  capable 
of  being  regenerated;  and  this  renovation 
baptism  does  strikingly  represent.  The 
practice  may  be  traced  up  to  the  earliest 
period  of  the  church,  and  was  then  uni- 
versal in  all  parts  of  the  world. 


153 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    lord's    supper. 

When  Christ  celebrated  the  passover 
for  the  last  time  with  his  disciples,  at  the 
close  of  the  feast,  he  instituted  another 
sacrament,  bearing  a  strong  analogy  to 
this  Jewish  festival,  to  be  perpetually  ob- 
served in  his  church  until  he  should 
come  again.  While  they  were  reclining 
around  the  table,  he  took  of  the  bread 
which  remained,  and  blessed  it,  and  brake 
it,  and  gave  it  to  his  disciples,  saying, 
"  This  is  my  body  which  is  broken  for 
you,  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me. 
Likewise  also  the  cup,  after  supper,  say- 
ing, This  cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my 
blood,  which  is  shed  for  vou."  As  this  or- 


154  THE  lord's  supper. 

dinance  was  intended  to  be  social,  that  is, 
to  be  celebrated  by  the  church  when  as- 
sembled, Paul  calls  it  a  communion;  "The 
cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not 
the  communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ? 
The  bread  which  we  break,  is  it  not  the 
communion  of  the  body  of  Christ?" 

Nothing  can  be  plainer  than  the  na- 
ture of  the  duty  enjoined  upon  the  dis- 
ciples, and  intended  to  be  oligatory  on 
all  Christians  to  the  end  of  the  world ; 
for  the  apostle  Paul,  who  was  not  present 
at  the  institution  of  the  eucharist,  but  re- 
ceived it,  as  he  did  the  gospel,  by  imme- 
diate revelation,  when  he  recites  the  words 
of  institution,  adds  an  important  clause, 
"  For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread  and 
drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  forth  the  Lord's 
death  till  he  come."  From  which  it  is 
evident  that  it  was  intended  to  be  a  stand- 
ing memorial  of  the  death  of  Christ  until 
his  second  advent. 

When  Christ  snys,  "  this  is  my  body," 
to  suppose  that  he  meant  to  teach,  that 


THE  lord's  supper.  155 

the  piece  of  bread  which  he  held  in  his 
hand,  was  Hterally  his  material  body,  is 
an  opinion  so  monstrous,  and  involving 
so  many  contradictions,  that  it  never 
could  have  originated  but  in  a  dark  and 
superstitious  age.  In  the  first  place  it 
was  contradicted  by  all  the  senses,  for 
the  properties  of  bread  and  wine  remain- 
ed after  the  words  were  spoken.  In  all 
other  cases  of  miracles,  the  appeal  is  to 
the  senses :  no  example  can  be  adduced 
of  men  being  required  to  believe  any 
thing  contrary  to  the  testimony  of  their 
senses.  But  if  the  bread  which  Christ 
held  in  his  hand  was  literally  his  body, 
he  must  have  had  two  bodies ;  and  if 
he  partook  of  the  bread,  he  must  have 
eaten  his  own  body.  He  says,  "  This  is 
my  body,  which  is  broken  for  you." 
"  This  is  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for 
you:"  if  these  words  are  taken  literally, 
then  Christ  was  already  slain,  and  his 
blood  already  shed ;  he  was,  therefore, 
crucified  before  he  was  nailed  to  the  cross. 


156  THE  lord's  supper. 

Moreover,  if  the  bread  is  transubstantiated 
every  time  this  sacrament  is  celebrated, 
Christ  must  have  as  many  bodies  as 
there  are  officiating  priests:  and  while 
his  body  is  glorified  in  heaven,  it  is  offer- 
ed as  a  sacrifice  on  earth,  in  thousands  of 
different  places.  And  while  the  glorified 
body  in  heaven  is  no  longer  composed  of 
flesh  and  blood,  the  body  made  out  of  the 
bread  and  wine,  is  a  real  body  of  flesh, 
containing  blood,  as  when  he  tabernacled 
among  men.  And  if  the  thing  were  pos- 
sible, what  spiritual  benefit  could  be  de- 
rived, from  devouring  flesh?  From  its 
nature,  being  material,  it  could  not  nour- 
ish the  spiritual  life.  And  when  receiv- 
ed into  the  stomach  as  food,  what  be- 
comes of  it?  is  it  incorporated,  like  com- 
mon food,  into  our  bodies? — But  I  will 
not  pursue  the  subject  further.  Before 
a  man  can  believe  in  transubstantiation, 
he  must  take  leave  both  of  his  reason 
and  his  senses. 

The  withholding  the  cup  from  the  laity 


THE  lord's  supper.  157 

is  an  open  violation  of  our  Lord's  com- 
mand, and  a  manifest  mutilation  of  the 
ordinance;  and  the  pretence  for  this  pre- 
sumptuous departure  from  the  express 
command  of  Christ  is  both  superstitious 
and  impious;  for  it  implies  that  Christ  in 
the  institution  of  the  cup,  was  wanting  in 
wisdom,  or  that  he  was  regardless  of  the 
danger  of  having  his  blood  desecrated, 
by  being  spilt. 

As  the  Lord's  Supper  is  a  memorial 
of  the  death  of  Christ,  it  should  be  cele- 
brated often,  that  this  great  sacrifice,  on 
which  our  salvation  depends,  may  not  be 
forgotten,  but  kept  in  lively  remembrance 
in  the  Christian  church. 

If  it  be  inquired,  in  what  sense  is  Christ 
present  in  the  eucharisti  we  answer,  spi- 
ritually to  those  who  by  faith  apprehend 
and  receive  him.  The  idea  of  a  bodily- 
presence  in,  with,  or  under  the  bread 
and  wine,  is  little  less  absurd  than  the 
doctrine  of  transubstantiation.  Indeed,  in 
some  respects,  it  is  even  more  impossible, 


158  THE  lord's  SUrPER. 

for  it  requires  and  supposes  the  ubiquity 
of  Christ's  body.  The  truth  then  is,  that 
only  they  who  exercise  faith  in  Christ,  as 
exhibited  in  the  eucharist,  eat  his  flesh 
and  drink  his  blood.  A  participation 
of  the  instituted  signs,  without  faith  to 
discern  the  Lord's  body,  is  so  far  from 
being  beneficial,  that  it  involves  the  guilt 
of  an  awful  crime;  for  he  that  eateth  and 
drinketh  unworthily,  eateth  and  drink- 
eth  judgment  unto  himself.  He  is  guilty 
of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord.  "  Let 
a  man  examine  himself,  therefore,  and  so 
let  him  eat  of  this  bread  and  drink  of  this 
cup." 

To  make  a  matter  of  importance  of 
mere  indifferent  circumstances  in  the 
celebration  of  the  sacraments,  has  been 
the  cause  of  useless  and  hurtful  conten- 
tions ;  and  to  insist  on  any  thing  as  neces- 
sary to  a  sacrament,  which  Christ  has  not 
expressly  enjoined,  is  a  wicked  usurpa- 
tion of  his  authorit}^,  by  adding  human 
inventions  to  his  divine  ordinances. 


THE  lord's  supper.  159 

The  value  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  in- 
calculable. It  is  admirably  adapted  to 
our  nature.  It  is  simple,  and  its  meaning 
easily  apprehended  by  the  weakest  minds. 
Il  is  strongly  significant  and  impressive. 
It  has  been  called  an  epitome  of  the 
whole  gospel,  as  the  central  truths  of  the 
system,  in  which  all  the  rest  are  implied, 
are  here  clearly  exhibited.  And  it  ever 
has  been  signally  blessed  to  the  spiritual 
edification  and  comfort  of  the  children  of 
God.  They,  therefore,  who  neglect  this 
ordinance,  do  at  the  same  time,  disobey 
a  positive  command  of  Christ,  and  de- 
prive themselves  of  one  of  the  richest 
privileges  which  can  be  enjoyed  on  this 
side  of  heaven. 


160 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DEATH. 

All  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  religion 
have  relation  to  a  future  state.  All  reli- 
gion is  founded  on  the  supposition  that 
man  will  live  after  the  death  of  the  body. 
The  importance  of  any  doctrine,  or  reli- 
gious institution,  depends  very  much  on 
its  bearing  on  the  future  destinies  of  men. 
Religion,  therefore,  leaches  its  votaries  to 
be  much  occupied  with  the  contemplation 
of  the  unseen  world.  It  is  especially  the 
province  of  faith  to  fix  the  attention  of  the 
mind  on  these  awful  but  invisible  reali- 
ties, and  by  this  means  to  draw  off  the 
too  eager  affections  from  the  objects  of 
the  present  world.  Of  whatever  else 
men  may  doubt,  they  cannot  be  sceptical 


DEATlf.  161 

in  regard  to  death.  The  evidences  of  the 
certainty  of  this  event  to  all,  are  so  mul- 
tiplied, and  so  frequently  obtruded  on  our . 
attention,  that  all  know  that  it  is  appointed 
for  them  once  to  die ;  and  yet,  notwith- 
standing this  certainty,  and  the  frequent 
mementos  which  we  have,  most  men  are 
but  slightly  impressed  with  their  mortal- 
ity, until  death  actually  comes  near,  and 
eternity,  with  its  awful  realities,  begins  to 
open  before  them. 

Death  is,  according  to  Scripture,  "  the 
wages  of  sin."  By  sin  death  entered 
into  the  world.  The  death  of  the  body 
is  a  part  of  the  punishment  of  sin;  ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  the  believer,  who  is 
freed  from  the  condemnation  of  the  law; 
and  to  whom  death,  though  frightful  and 
painful,  is  no  curse,  but  rather  a  blessing. 
For,  by  the  death  of  Christ,  as  his  Surety, 
the  penalty  of  the  law  has  been  exhausted. 
"  There  is  no  condemnation  to  them  who 
are  in  Christ  Jesus."  To  them  "  it  is  a 
gain  to  die."  To  them,  the  monster  has 
li 


162  BEATH. 

no  sting.     To  them,  death  is  a  deliver- 
ance from  sin  and  suffering,  and  an  en- 
trance into  perfect  holiness  and  happi- 
f  ness.     As  soon  as  the  true  Christian  de- 
parts, he  is  with  Christ,  and  is  like  him, 
J  and  beholds  his  glory.     Therefore,  Paul 
J  in  his  inventory  of  the  rich  possessions 
^   of  the  saints,  reckons  death  as  one,  "  For 
all  things   are    yours,  whether  Paul  or 
Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  things  present,  or 
things  to  come,   life  or  death,   all   are 
yours,  and  you  are  Christ's,  and  Christ 
is  God's." 

All  we  know  of  death  is,  that  it  is  a 
separation  of  the  soul  from  the  body ;  the 
consequence  of  which  to  the  latter  is,  an 
immediate  disorganization  and  corrup- 
tion. As  it  was  taken  from  the  dust,  so 
it  returns  to  dust  again.  But  as  to  the 
soul,  being  essentially  living  and  active, 
it  continues  its  conscious  exercises,  but 
in  what  wa}^,  when  deprived  of  its  usual 
organ,  we  cannot  tell.  As  all  our  expe- 
rience has  been  in  connexion  with  bodily 


DEATH.  163 

orojans,  we  of  course  can  know  nothinoj 
of  the  exercises  of  mind  in  a  state  where 
no  such  organs  are  possessed.  All  at- 
tempts, therefore,  to  imagine  what  the 
condition  of  the  soul  in  a  separate  state 
is,  must  be  vain. 

But  we  need  not  be  perplexed  or  trou- 
bled on  account  of  our  ignorance  of  the 
future  state.  We  may  well  trust,  in  this 
case,  as  in  others,  our  divine  Redeemer 
and  faithful  Friend,  to  arrange  all  mat- 
ters for  his  own  glory,  and  for  our  benefit. 
The  gracious  declaration,  that "  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  who  love 
God,  and  are  the  called  according  to  his 
purpose,"  is  not  only  true,  in  relation  to 
their  pilgrimage  on  earth,  but  also  in 
regard  to  their  passage  through  the  val- 
ley of  the  shadow  of  death ;  so  that  they 
need  fear  no  evil,  for  the  great  Shepherd 
has  promised  to  be  with  them,  and  to 
comfort  them,  with  his  rod  and  his  staff; 
"  When  heart  and  flesh  fail,  he  will  be 
the  strength  of  their  heart,  and  their  por- 


164  DEATH. 

tion  for  ever."   "  Precious  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints." 

Although  Httle  is  revealed  respecting 
the  mode  of  existence  and  enjoyment  in 
a  separate  state,  for  the  plain  reason,  that 
no  description  could  be  understood  by 
us;  yet  we  may  confidently  trust  our 
blessed  Redeemer  to  provide  for  the 
guidance  and  comfort  of  the  soul,  when 
it  enters  an  unknown  world.  When  La- 
zarus died,  angels  stood  ready  to  receive 
and  convoy  his  departing  spirit ;  and  we 
have  no  reason  to  think  that  this  favour 
was  peculiar  to  this  saint ;  but  rather  that 
it  was  recorded  in  this  instance,  to  teach 
us,  that  the  same  might  be  expected  in 
every  case  of  the  death  of  a  true  believer. 


165 


CHAPTER    XXI 


KESUKRECTION. 


Leaving,  therefore,  the  intermediate  state 
between  death  and  judgment,  in  that  ob- 
scurity in  which  revelation  has  left  it,  let  us 
proceed,  briefly  to  contemplate  those  im- 
portant events  connected  with  our  future 
existence,  concerning  which  the  Scrip- 
tures speak  plainly ;  I  mean  the  resur- 
rection and  judgment.  The  redemption 
purchased  by  the  merit  and  death  of 
Christ,  respects  the  body  as  well  as  the 
soul.  The  redemption  of  the  body  is  one 
of  those  things  for  which  believers  wait  in 
hope.  Although  the  threatening,  that  unto 
dust  it  shall  return,  will  be  verified ;  yet, 
the  body  itself  shall  rise  again.  Christ  is 


166  RESURRECTION. 

"  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  "  For," 
said  Christ  to  the  Jews,  "  the  hour  is 
coming  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the 
graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall 
come  forth ;  they  that  have  done  good, 
to  the  resurrection  of  life;  and  they 
that  have  done  evil,  to  the  resurrection 
of  damnation."  "  Since  by  man  came 
death,  by  man  also  came  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead;  for,  as  in  Adam  all 
die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive."  "  Knowing  that  he  which  raised 
up  the  Lord  Jesus,  shall  raise  us  up  also 
by  Jesus." 

When  it  is  asserted,  that  all  must  die, 
and  be  raised  again,  they  must  be  ex- 
cepted who  shall  be  alive  upon  the  earth 
when  Christ  shall  come ;  for,  "  behold," 
says  Paul,  "  I  show  you  a  mystery,  we 
shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be 
changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump."  "  For  the 
Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven, 
with  a  shout  and  with  the  voice  of  the 


RESURRECTION.  167 

archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God, 
and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first. 
Then  we  which  are  alive  and  remain, 
shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in 
the  clouds  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air  ; 
and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord." 
As  to  the  difficulties  which  reason  may- 
suggest  in  regard  to  the  resurrection  of 
the  same  body,  we  need  give  ourselves 
no  trouble.  Let  us  believe,  that  "  with 
God  all  things  are  possible,  and  that  what 
he  hath  promised  he  is  able  to  perform." 
*'  Why,"  says  Paul,  in  his  speech  before 
Agrippa,  "  why  should  it  be  thought  a 
thing  incredible  with  you,  that  God  should 
raise  the  dead  ?" 


168 
CHAPTER    XXII. 

JUDGMENT. 

Immediately  after  the  resurrection  comes 
the  judgment  of  men  and  devils.  The  time 
of  this  event  is  called,  the  "  last  day," 
and  the  "  day  of  judgment,"  (2  Pet. 
iii.  7.) 

"  For  he  hath  appointed  a  day  in  which 
he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness, 
by  that  Man  whom  he  hath  ordained." 
"  But,  as  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to 
die,  but  after  this  the  judgment."  "  For 
we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive 
the  things  done  in  his  body,  according  to 
that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or 
bad."  "  I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before 
God  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall 
judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  at  his  ap- 


JUDGMENT.  169 

pearing  and  kingdom,"  "And  the  angels 
which  kept  not  their  first  estate,  but  left 
their  own  habitation,  he  hath  reserved  in 
chains  under  darkness  unto  the  judgment 
of  the  great  day."  "  For  God  shall  bring 
every  work  into  judgment,  with  every 
secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or 
whether  it  be  evil." 

The  end  of  appointing  a  day  of  judg- 
ment is,  that  the  justice  of  God  may  be 
manifested,  in  his  treatment  of  his  crea- 
tures, and  that  the  righteous  may  be  vin- 
dicated from  all  those  calumnies  which, 
in  this  world,  were  heaped  upon  them. 
When  the  conduct  of  the  wicked  shall  be 
disclosed,  and  all  their  secret  motives 
and  purposes  brought  to  light,  it  will  be 
manifest  to  the  whole  universe,  that  their 
condemnation  is  just,  and  especially, 
when  it  is  seen,  that  punishment  is  ex- 
actly proportioned  to  the  guilt  of  the 
offender.  But  the  degree  of  guilt  will 
not  be  measured  by  the  enormity  of  the 
outward  act   alone;   but   the  light  and 


170  JUDGMENT. 

privileges  enjoyed  by  some,  will  give 
such  crimson  colour  to  their  crimes,  that 
their  punishment  will  be  greater  than  that 
of  much  more  atrocious  sinners,  who 
lived  in  ignorance  of  the  truths  of  God, 
according  to  the  wo  pronounced  by 
our  Saviour,  against  Chorazin,  Bethsaida, 
and  Capernaum,  when  he  says,  that  it 
will  be  more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon 
in  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  the  first 
tv  o  cities,  and  more  tolerable  for  Sodom 
than  for  the  last. 

Every  one  must  perceive  the  fitness  of 
appointing  Christ  to  be  the  judge,  since 
all  power  in  heaven  and  earth  is  com- 
mitted unto  him,  and  he  is  made  head 
over  all  things  to  his  church.  And  as  he 
was  arraigned  at  a  human  tribunal  and 
unjustly  condemned,  it  is  suitable  that 
his  enemies  should  behold  him  on  the 
throne  of  his  glory.  It  is  on  many  accounts 
suitable  that  they  who  pierced  him  should 
see  him  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  ; 
and  that  all   those  who   conspired   his 


JUDGMENT.  171 

death,  and  who  with  wicked  hands  cru- 
cified the  Prince  of  life,  should  be  brought 
to  answer  for  their  atrocious  crimes  at 
the  tribunal  of  him  whom  they  mali- 
ciously accused,  unjustly  condemned, 
and  cruelly  put  to  death.  Another  rea- 
son why  God  manifest  in  the  flesh  should 
be  constituted  judge  of  quick  and  dead, 
is,  that  he  can  appear  visibly  in  his 
proper  person,  which  the  Father  cannot. 
And  as  his  disciples  can  only  be  pro- 
nounced acquitted  on  account  of  his  per- 
fect righteousness,  it  is  altogether  suitable 
that  he  should  be  on  the  judgment-seat  to 
acknowledge  them.  Their  conduct  will, 
also,  be  exhibited,  not  as  answering  the 
demands  of  the  law,  but  as  evidence  of 
their  sincere  faith  in  his  name  ;  and  also, 
because  the  reward  bestowed  on  them 
will  be  measured  by  their  good  works. 
Whether  their  secret  sins  will  on  that  day 
be  brought  to  light,  has  been  disputed  ; 
but,  as  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer  will 
be  enhanced  in  proportion  to  the  guilt 


172  JUDGMENT. 

and  misery  of  the  redeemed,  there  is  no 
solid  reason  why  the  sins  of  behevers 
should  be  kept  secret,  especially  as  many 
of  their  sins  must  be  known  even  to  the 
wicked.  Those  texts  which  speak  of  the 
sins  of  God's  people  as  blotted  out,  as 
buried  in  the  sea,  as  covered,  &c.,  do 
all  relate  to  the  pardon  of  sin  ;  but  not  to 
its  concealment  at  the  day  of  judgment. 


173 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

heaven;  or,  the  state  of  glorifica- 
tion. 

Some  things  are  hard  to  be  believed,  they 
are  so  good  and  glorious.  That  such 
poor,  ignorant,  imperfect,  and  unworthy 
creatures,  should  ever  arrive  at  a  state, 
in  which  they  shall  "  know  as  they  are 
known,"  and  shall  be  free  from  all  im- 
perfection in  their  moral  exercises,  and 
shall  be  continually  as  happy  as  they  are 
capable  of  being,  is  hard  for  us  in  our 
present  state  distinctly  to  conceive  of; 
and  therefore  the  glorious  realities  of  an- 
other world  make,  commonly,  but  a  fee- 
ble impression  on  the  minds  of  Christians. 
Perhaps  a  more  deep  and  vivid  impres- 


174  heaven;  or,  the 

sion  of  the  nearness  and  glory  of  the 
heavenly  stale  would  so  absorb  their 
minds  as  to  render  them  unfit  to  perform 
the  common  business  of  this  life.  It  is, 
however,  exceedingly  desirable,  that  the 
children  of  God  should  think  more  of  the 
heavenly  state,  and  have  a  more  habitual 
impression  of  the  felicity  and  purity  of 
the  celestial  world,  than  they  commonly 
possess.  In  this  brief  summary,  our  ob- 
ject shall  be,  in  the  simplest  manner,  to 
exhibit,  without  exaggeration  or  amplifi- 
cation, what  is  revealed  in  the  sacred 
Scriptures  respecting  the  condition  of  the 
righteous  after  the  judgment  is  brought 
to  a  close.  And  may  the  Spirit  of  God 
enlighten  our  blind  minds  to  perceive  the 
reality,  felicity,  and  glory  of  the  heaven- 
ly state. 

The  righteous,  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, will  be  openly  acknowledged  and 
acquitted;  and  shall  receive  from  the 
Judge  a  gracious  welcome  into  his  king- 


STATE  OF  GLORIFICATION.        175 

dom  and  glory  ;  for  then  shall  the  King 
say  to  those  on  his  right  hand,  '^  Come 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  king- 
dom prepared  for  you  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world."  Their  minds  will,  no 
doubt,  be  wonderfully  enlarged ;  and  it  is 
no  extravagant  idea,  and  altogether  con- 
sistent with  analogy,  to  suppose,  that  we 
have  now  in  our  mental  constitution,  the 
germs  of  faculties  which  have  never  been 
developed  in  this  world,  because  here 
their  exercise  was  not  needed ;  but  which, 
upon  our  transition  into  the  celestial  world, 
will  be  brought  into  full  activity,  and  will 
qualify  us  to  participate  in  the  social  in- 
tercourse, and  in  the  employments  of  the 
heavenly  state.  There,  the  glorious  at- 
tributes of  God  will  be  clearly  exhibited 
to  the  understanding.  There,  the  whole 
current  of  the  affections  will  be  concen- 
trated on  Christ,  through  whom  the  Fa- 
ther manifests  himself.  There,  every 
desire,  every  volition,  every  thought,  will 


176  HEAVEN  ;    OR,    THE 

be  in  conformity  with  the  divine  will. 
Nothing  will  be  wanting  to  that  perfec- 
tion of  sublime  and  pure  enjoyment,  of 
which  each  individual  is  capable;  for 
although  the  happiness  of  every  one  will 
be  complete,  yet  there  will  be  many  de- 
grees, as  some  will  have  larger  capaci- 
ties than  others ;  as  many  vessels  of  dif- 
ferent dimensions,  cast  into  the  sea,  will 
all  be  full,  yet  their  contents  may  be 
vastly  different. 

As  all  rational  happiness  is  founded 
in  knowledge  of  objects  suited  to  satisfy 
and  fill  the  rational  mind,  it  is  reason- 
able to  think,  that  in  heaven  there  will  be 
a  gradual  progress  in  knowledge;  and  as 
the  object,  even  the  divine  attributes,  is 
infinite,  this  progress  may,  indeed  must, 
go  on  progressively  through  eternity. 
And  hence  we  can  understand  why  it  is 
that  the  joys  of  heaven  admit  of  no  alloy 
from  their  long  continuance,  or  constant 
repetition.      New   and    interesting    dis- 


STATE    OF    GLORIFICATION.  177 

coveries  of  celestial  objects,  will  furnish 
continual  novelty  and  variety  to  entertain 
the  taste  of  the  rational  mind. 

The  exercise  of  the  social  affections 
will  be  a  source  of  pure  and  unspeakable 
felicity.  There,  no  envious,  narrow,  or 
selfish  feelings  will  exist,  to  interrupt 
the  sweet  communion  of  kindred  spirits. 
The  unity  and  harmony  of  spirit  in  the 
continual  praise  of  God,  will  be  a  source 
of  the  most  pure  and  elevated  enjoyment, 
far  above  what  tongue  can  express  or 
heart  conceive.  There,  indeed,  all  be- 
lievers will  be  melted  down,  as  it  were, 
into  one,  and  will  constitute  one  glorious 
body;  Christ  being  the  Head. 

The  bodies  of  the  saints  will  be  exact- 
ly suited  to  the  celestial  world,  and  its 
delights  and  employments.  These  bodies 
of  flesh  and  blood,  created  from  the  dust, 
will,  at  the  resurrection,  be  so  changed, 
that  they  will  be  fashioned  like  unto 
Christ's  glorious  body,  which  undoubted- 
12 


178  heaven;  or,  the 

ly,  is  the  most  glorious  visible  object  in 
the  universe.  It  would  be  vain  and  pre- 
sumptuous for  us  to  imagine  what  will  be 
the  structure,  the  organs,  and  the  habili- 
ments of  the  glorified  bodies  of  the  saints. 
The  nearest  approximation  which  we  can 
make  to  a  conception  of  this  matter,  will 
consist  merely  in  removing  from  our 
minds  all  those  weaknesses  and  imperfec- 
tions which  cleave  to  these  earthly  bodies. 
Paul  has,  with  the  pen  of  inspiration, 
written  nothing  more  sublime,  than  in 
his  discourse  respecting  the  resurrection 
of  the  bodies  of  the  saints :  "  It  is  sown 
in  corruption,  it  is  raised  in  incorruption ; 
it  is  sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in 
power;  it  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is 
raised  a  spiritual  body :"  that  is,  a  body 
purified  and  consecrated  by  the  indwell- 
ing of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  the  true 
meaning  of  the  word  used  in  the  original. 
Further  on,  the  Apostle  writes,  "  So  when 
this  corruptible  shall  have  put  on  incor- 


STATE    OF    GLORIFICATION.  179 

ruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on 
immortality,  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass 
the  saying  that  is  written,  death  is  swal- 
lowed up  in  victory."  In  heaven  there 
is  no  sickness,  no  tears,  no  death,  no  sin, 
no  weariness,  no  alloy,  no  sleep,  no  fear; 
but  everlasting  joy  and  glory  shall  crown 
the  heads  of  the  redeemed. 


180 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
hell;  or,  the  state  of  future 

MISERY. 

The  most  incomprehensible  of  all  mys- 
teries is,  that  moral  evil  should  have  a 
place  in  the  universe  of  an  infinitely 
wise,  holy,  and  powerful  God.  We 
could  construct  a  very  plausible  argu- 
ment, a  'priori,  to  prove  from  the  above 
premises,  that  moral  evil  never  could  be 
permitted  to  exist  in  the  world.  But 
how  futile  are  all  reasonings  against 
facts  experienced  every  moment,  and 
by  every  man.  The  philosopher  who 
undertook  to  demonstrate  that  there  could 
be  no  such  thing  as  motion,  received 
the  right  answer,  when  the  person  ad- 
dressed uttered  not  a  word,  but  rose  up 


HELL,    ETC.  181 

and  walked.  So  we  may  answer  all 
arguments  against  the  possibility  of  the 
existence  of  evil,  by  pointing  to  the 
prison,  the  hospital,  and  the  grave. 
We  need  not  go  so  far;  we  need  only 
refer  the  sophist  to  his  own  experience. 
Now,  if  moral  evil  have  an  existence,  it 
is  evident  that  pain  or  natural  evil  must 
follow  it.  No  conviction  of  the  human 
mind  is  clearer  or  stronger  than  that 
crime  should  be  visited  by  punishment. 
Every  judgment  of  the  moral  faculty, 
every  feeling  of  disapprobation  at  unpro- 
voked injury,  every  twinge  of  remorse, 
furnishes  indubitable  proof  that  moral 
evil  should  be  visited  with  punishment. 
From  this  law,  written  on  the  heart,  no 
man  can  escape.  "  The  wages  of  sin  is 
death :"  and  the  very  practice  of  moral 
evil  involves  misery  in  the  very  exer- 
cise. 

But  some  who  cannot  but  admit  that 
moral  evil  exists,  and  that  as  long  as  it 
does  exist,   there  must  be  misery;  yet 


182  hell;  or,  the 

cannot  be  reconciled  to  the  doctrine  of 
eternal  misery,  which  seems  to  be  clearly 
taught  in  the  word  of  God.  That  any 
of  God's  rational  creatures  should  be 
doomed  to  a  state  of  everlasting  sin  and 
misery,  is  indeed  an  appalling  idea ;  from 
which  the  benevolent  sympathetic  mind 
would  gladly  shrink ;  but  as  far  as  rea- 
son is  concerned,  the  chief  difficulty  is 
admitted,  when  it  is  conceded,  that  sin 
and  misery  have  an  actual  existence  in 
the  world,  and  have  had  from  a  period 
near  its  commencement.  For  if  evil 
may  exist,  as  it  has  done,  consistently 
with  the  Divine  attributes,  it  may  exist 
hereafter — it  may  exist  for  ever.  When 
it  is  argued  that  sin  cannot  deserve  such 
a  punishment,  something  is  assumed 
which  cannot  be  known  to  be  true.  If 
sin  may  exist  and  be  punished  for  ages, 
no  man  can  prove  that  it  may  not  exist 
for  ever,  and  for  ever  be  the  cause  of 
misery.  The  idea  is  indeed  so  painful 
to  our  feelings,  that  unless  the  will  of 


STATE  OF  FUTURE  MISERY.         183 

God  had  been  revealed  too  clearly  to  be 
mistaken,  the  doctrine  of  eternal  misery 
would  never  have  been  received  by  any 
considerable  number  of  persons ;  but 
revolting  as  it  is  to  our  sensibilities,  it 
has  been  from  the  beginning,  the  belief 
of  the  whole  Christian  church,  with  a 
very  few  exceptions.  We  believe  this 
doctrine,  simply  because  we  find  it  plain- 
ly written  in  innumerable  passages  of 
Scripture.  If  there  is  any  art  by  which 
this  array  of  testimony  can  be  set  aside, 
then  it  will  be  a  legitimate  inference,  that 
no  doctrine  is  or  can  be  proved  from  the 
sacred  word. 

It  is  not  intended  to  adduce  all  the  Scrip- 
ture proofs  of  this  awful  doctrine.  They 
may  be  met  with  on  almost  every  page 
of  the  New  Testament.  It  may  not  be 
amiss,  however,  to  cite  a  few  passages, 
that  the  reader  may  have  a  specimen  of 
the  proof  texts  which  may  be  alleged. 
There  is  a  sin  for  which  there  is  no  for- 
giveness, neither  m  this  world  nor  in  the 


184  hell;  or,  the 

world  to  come.  There  was  a  person, 
concerning  whom  our  Saviour  said,  it 
had  been  better  for  him  if  he  had  never 
been  born ;  which  can  only  be  true  on 
the  supposition,  that  punishment  will  be 
eternal.  There  were  some  of  whom 
Christ  said,  "  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins, 
and  where  T  am  thither  ye  cannot  come." 
It  is  said,  that  many  "  shall  seek  to  enter 
into  life  and  shall  not  be  able."  Besides, 
we  have  not  the  least  intimation  that  the 
lost  can  ever  be  rendered  meet  for  the 
heavenly  state.  Certainly  the  society 
and  blasphemy  of  devils  have  no  tenden- 
cy to  fit  the  souls  of  the  damned  for  the 
pure  joys  of  the  celestial  world.  And, 
in  confirmation  of  the  common  doctrine, 
we  have  in  Scripture  every  form  of  ex- 
pression which  could  express  eternity  of 
misery.  The  same  terms  which  are  em- 
ployed to  teach  the  eternal  existence  of 
God,  and  the  perpetuity  of  the  happiness 
of  the  righteous,  are  also  used  to  teach 
the  endless  sufferings  of  the  fiwally  ira- 


STATE    or    FUTURE    MISERY.  185 

penitent.  And,  for  aught  we  know,  eter- 
nity is  an  immutable  state  of  existence ; 
and  he  who  is  doomed  to  punishment  in 
another  world,  must  suffer  eternally,  be- 
cause the  successions  of  time  may  have 
no  existence  there. 

We  are  not  more  certainly  assured  of 
the  perpetuity  of  future  misery,  than  of 
the  intensity  of  the  torments  which  must 
be  endured  by  the  wretched  creatures 
who  shall  be  doomed  to  everlasting  ban- 
ishment from  the  comfortable  presence 
of  God.  Whether  the  fire  of  hell  is  a 
material  fire  is  an  inquiry  of  no  import- 
ance. It  matters  not  whether  excrucia- 
ting pain  proceeds  from  a  material  or 
immaterial  cause.  The  misery  of  lost 
sinners  must  be  inconceivably  dreadful 
if  they  should  be  abandoned  to  their  own 
feelings  of  remorse,  despair,  and  the  ra- 
ging of  malignant  passions,  now  free  from 
all  restraint.  This  state  of  misery  is 
spoken  of  as  a  place  of  outer  darkness ;  a 
lake  of  fire  and  brimstone;  and  a  place 
13 


186  HELL. 

where  the  worm  dieth  not,  and  where  the 
fire  is  not  quenched.  Let  every  one  who  is 
within  the  reach  of  mercy,  flee  from  the 
coming  wrath,  and  take  refuge  under  the 
outstretched  wines  of  the  divine  mercy. 


THE    END. 


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